Cats can be oddballs. They sleep for almost 20 hours a day, and get scared by cucumbers. They also get very enthusiastic and energetic, and are great play mates. Apart from cat nip, there’s nothing a cat loves more than boxes, though. Any box will do, actually: Big, small, tall, short, plastic, carboard. The cat will take it, no questions asked (of course). So, what’s the reason?
I know you all came here looking for a scientific explanation to this age-long question. I’m sorry to say that the jury is out. However, that doesn’t mean that we’re clueless. Animal behaviorists and psychologists have some pretty interesting and sensible explanation which they have all shared!
For one, if we’ve learned anything at all from the myriad of studies made on cats is this: they enjoy closed spaces. They’re practically the opposite of claustrophobic, and derive comfort and well-being from being as crammed up as tightly as possible.
This is especially true for cats who are stressed out naturally, as recounted by Claudia Vinke of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Vinke did a study in which shelter cats were studied for stress levels.
The team provided hiding boxes to cats who were new arrivals at the shelter, while depriving others. Those cats that had the boxes at their disposal had a lot less stress hormones in their blood.
Later on, the boxed cats were more familiar with their environment, less panicked and more inclined to interact with human.beings In this case, it seems boxes are a means for the felines to hide and evade stressful situation.
The same can be said about wild cats as well, only instead of retreating into trees or caves, house cats use shoe boxes. The sample size of 19 cats was small, but the paper concludes,
“The hiding box appears to be an important enrichment for the cat to cope effectively with stressors in a new shelter environment the first weeks after arrival.”
They are hoping to extend the work to longer term studies and to consider cats housed collectively.
A reddit user’s cat has taken box sitting to a whole new level. Credit: RissakaA reddit user’s cat has taken box sitting to a whole new level. Credit: Rissaka
Shelters can be very stressful environments for any animal, yet cats love boxes even when there’s nothing unfamiliar going on, say in your safe and boring home.
In this case, we can just say that cats prefer to linger in boxes or other small enclosures at home because they feel the safest and most comfortable this way, especially if its for dozing off.
It’s also worth noting that cats are poor at resolving many conflicts. If they feel they want to “disappear” for whatever reason (don’t let this hurt your feelings), a cat will use a box in a heartbeat.
Cats might love boxes and other small enclosures, because they feel warmer inside. According to the National Research Council, the thermoneutral zone for a domesticated cat is 86 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit. This is about 20 degrees higher than the comfort zone of humans.
Apparently, it’s a feline thing. Credit: Fellowships of the Mind
Whatever’s their reason for cardboard fascinations, if you care for a feline help it out and always keep a box empty.
