\cap S^3$$ is a transverse intersection. In this case, $K\subset S^3$ is a knot or link, and we call knots that arise in this way (transverse) [*$\C$-knots*]{} (see [@Rudolph2005] for a thorough introduction to these knots).

It is well-known that some iterated cables of the unknot are $\C$-knots. Indeed, the class of cabled $\C$-knots contains the so-called [*links of singularities*]{}, which come from complex curves with a single isolated singularity at the origin. In fact, the links of singularities are precisely the iterated cables of the unknot satisfying a positivity condition, see [@EN1985] for a discussion. A notable feature of the link of a singularity is that its Milnor fiber (a smoothing of the singular complex curve contained in the four-ball [@Milnor1968]) can be isotoped into the three-sphere to be a Seifert surface for the knot.

In light of these classical results, a natural question to ask is to what extent cabling can be performed in the complex category. That is, when can a cable knot be a $\C$-knot? If it is, when is the piece of the complex curve contained in the four-ball isotopic to a Seifert surface? To this end, our results provide the following obstructions:

\[cor:cor1\] Suppose 