Why do cats love boxes? It could be predatory behaviour
Cat’s adore squeezing into cardboard spaces – be it large boxes, shoe boxes, and even just items that look like boxes. According to scientists they’re not completely sure as why do cats love boxes, but they have a number of theories. One theory is that cats are naturally drawn to boxes as they provide security and shelter from predators while they stalk their prey. Recently veterinarian Claudia Vinke of Utrecht University in the Netherlands did a study regarding stress levels in shelter cats. She found that cats who had boxes adapted to their new surroundings faster compared to those who didn’t – reason being the boxes acted as a coping mechanism. Boxes are the most safe places for cats to take a nap. Felines usually sleep for 18 to 20 hours a day, so seeking out a hidden place boost their chances of survival in the wild.
‘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 Business Insider. ‘And a box gives them a place of safety and security.’ Secondly, cats try to avoid unwanted attention. As per The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour, cats lack good conflict resolution strategies and running and hiding is a coping mechanism for this.
But, not just boxes cats seem to try to fit into any enclosed space like drawers, shopping bags and even kettles. According to a recent report by Bryan Gardiner in Wired, the reason for that is perhaps cats are trying to stay warm. Felines have a much better tolerance to higher temperatures than humans. Small places make perfect insulators, which may explain why a cat will try and curl up in a shoe box. A same sort of behaviour happens when a cat sees a circle drawn on the floor. Just mark one out with a chalk, string, masking tape or flex, a cat will enter the circle and refuse to leave.
This may sound ridiculous, but dozens of photos of cats ‘stuck’ in just such circles have materialized on the internet. According to Professor Daniel Mills, one of Britain’s top experts in animal behaviour, cats can be lured to circles if they formed a barrier, for example, if they were made of a curled-up draught excluder, tea towels or a row of socks. ‘Low barriers can give a cat a sense of security because the cat can cower down,’ says the Lincoln University academic. ‘If you take a cat to the vet and it is put in an unfamiliar cage, it will often sit in a litter tray if there is one inside the cage.’
THE CARDBOARD HOME FOR CATS THAT OWNERS CAN TURN INTO CASTLES
A new product has made it possible for creative cat owners to build their pet a castle, a tower or even a robot to play in. ‘Blocks’ is basically a package of shapes created from recycled cardboard which can be folded into any shape of your choice. The cardboard pieces – cubes, beams, tunnels, bridges and slides – slot together to create a sturdy and simulating playhouse for felines. The brain behind the product is Poopy Cat, a Dutch company which just last year had launched its biodegradable and disposable litter box. That inspired the idea of creating a playhouse constructed from component parts like Lego bricks, which the company have developed for five months.
The company claims that its product will not only keep cats mentally stimulated but will also fight obesity by getting them to move around it. After completion of product design stage, the company is now trying to raise funds via crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, to finance its first batch and has raised almost double its target. People who pledged minimum €30 (£23) will be the first to receive the product.
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