Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much?

by alexandra on 24 Feb 2015 |

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Have you ever spent your hard earned money on your cat's brand-new toy only to find him or her kicking it to a corner and playing with the box it came in? If you're a cat owner, that question really doesn't need to be answered-of course you have!

But fear not- there is method to your kitty's madness! Science explains why exactly it is that cats love small boxes whether they be shoe boxes, cardboard boxes, plastic toy boxes or even small spaces in your favorite closet.

It is part of a cat's instinctual behaviour to look for confined spaces just like they would in the wild. These small dark spaces allow them to hide from predators or stalk their prey. This instinctual behaviour is not exclusive to domestic pets, wild cats like lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs love boxes too. We just rarely see them out in the wild playing in giant cardboard boxes.

"Cats like boxes because they are cryptic animals; they like to hide," Stephen Zawistowski, science adviser for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told to Business Insider. "And a box gives them a place of safety and security."

Boxes are also the perfect place to cosy up and take a nice and comfortable nap without anyone sneaking up on them and disrupting their sleep. They are also darker and cooler so they may take refuge in them on hot days.

However you may notice that on cold days they also curl up in boxes, the reason for this is because the boxes not only provide them with a safe and secure place to rest and recharge but they are also little insulators to keep them warm on colder days.

The reason why they choose boxes WAY too small for their bodies also known as the 'if I fits, I sits' theory is based around a cats curiousity. In their minds, a box is a box, so they just see it a bit of a challenge to see if they can fit into the box.

Surprisingly they often do!

Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much?

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