Why do cats love boxes?

5 reasons why cats love boxes

The understanding of comfort and pleasure obviously differs greatly between humans and our furry brethren. Suffice it to recall the trend on social networks “Cats are liquid”, in which the owners shared photos of their pets climbing into the most unusual locations – from an empty glass to a milk bottle. This feature of our companions also explains why cats love boxes so much. The reasons may not be obvious to us, but quite logical and understandable to our four-legged friends.

Boxes provide safety and protection

Perhaps this is the main reason why boxes seem so attractive to cats. The desire to hide or hide from irritants in a confined space is a natural reaction of our ponytails to stress. This behavior is due to fluffy instincts. When a cat is in a box, a threat cannot suddenly approach her from the side or from behind. She sees everything and everyone who approaches her. For example, boxes serve as a coping mechanism for cats, providing comfort and reducing anxiety.

Utrecht University (Netherlands) conducted a study at a Dutch animal shelter during which 19 newly arrived cats were divided into groups. One of the two groups was provided with special boxes for the period of adaptation, in which they could hide if they wished. Stress scores were measured in both groups, and during the experiment, it was found that the cats that were given the boxes had significantly lower stress levels than the other group. Anxious, frightened toddlers found comfort and safety in boxes to hide in and quickly adapted to the new environment. How touching!

They can be part of the game

Probably the simplest reason cats love boxes is because they are just plain fun! In boxes, they can roll on the floor, jump in different directions, pounce on the legs of a person passing by, or on toys. For our pets, the boxes are a real Disneyland for cats, wrapped in an ordinary brown cardboard box.

They can be chewed and scratched

Who doesn’t know how cats like to sharpen their claws on sofas, curtains, carpets and any other items? The box is a great place for a cat “nail salon”. Our furry friends love to dig their claws into soft, crunchy cardboard. In addition, scented pads are located on the cat’s paws, with the help of which they leave their scent on scratched things. This is how our four-legged animals mark the territory of their little shelter and feel comfortable in a cozy house.

It happens that cats gnaw on things to satisfy their hunter instinct. It is believed that quadrupeds love to tear apart boxes in particular and objects in general, because this is how they realize the desire to gnaw and kill their prey. Wow!

Boxes give warmth

According to research, the most comfortable temperature for cats is between 30 and 36°C. In most people’s homes, the temperature is 22-24°C, which is as much as 8-12 degrees below the fluffy thermoneutral zone. This explains why many cats enjoy curling up in small boxes or other unusual places. Corrugated cardboard is an excellent thermal insulator, and unusual resting positions help animals keep their body heat.

This is a great way to avoid conflicts.

Biologists believe that our pets do not tend to develop conflict resolution strategies as well as more gregarious species, so they may try to avoid confrontation by hiding from others or minimizing their activity.

Thus, instead of solving problems, cats choose to simply run away from them or hide. The box for our companions represents a safe zone, a place where any cause for concern or source of hostility simply disappears.

This fact may well explain why cats love boxes, but it seems to us that the pets in the cute video below do not suffer from stress or conflicts with the environment at all, but simply enjoy their cat life!