Why do cats like boxes?

Cats are very playful animals, able to distract themselves with whatever they find and that seems a little curious. Many times we spend money on expensive cat toys, and they tend to be more interested in simple paper balls or pens, for example, than a doll designed especially for cats.

The same goes for sleeping beds. Has it not happened to you that your cat prefers to spend the day or the night inside some empty box, than in its own fluffy bed? This is something that amuses the owners of cats, who do not explain this behavior.

To get rid of doubts once and for all, we want to talk to you about Why do cats like boxes? You will see that it is not about any caprice on the part of your pussycat, but that it has very justified reasons to prefer cardboard boxes.

Do not you like your bed?

The scene is typical: you just bought a new bed for your cat, or a toy, and this one prefers to use the box in which the article came, and not the article itself. Sometimes this is often frustrating for the owners, who have carefully chosen a gift for their pussycat.

In cases like these, do not be discouraged: your cat thanks you for bringing home such a perfect box just for him. This does not mean that I do not appreciate the other things that you have achieved for him, much less that he is ungrateful. The box, despite its simplicity, has a series of irresistible attractions that can be difficult for a human to guess.

6 reasons that explain why cats like boxes:

Now, the time has come to reveal the charm that cats see in that cardboard box in which your last appliance came, and from which your cat seems not to want to separate. There are several factors that make it the perfect toy / house for your cat:

1. The survival instinct

Although inside the houses and apartments it is very unlikely that the cats will find something that wants to harm them, the instinct to stay safe from them persists in them. the Predators, which is the same that often leads them to prefer high places at bedtime. Remember that they spend much of the day sleeping, so to be calm they must find a place that gives them the feeling of security.

The same thing happens with boxes: for your cat it is like a cave in which you can feel safe from any danger, in addition to allowing him to isolate himself from the outside world and become a space only for him, in which he can be calm and enjoy solitude.

2. The hunt

Maybe your cat looks like a small and tender animal, with its shiny fur, its funny mustaches and the adorable pads of its legs. However, you must remember that in a wild environment the cat is a hunting animal, natural predator of smaller beings.

From the darkness of his box / cave, the cat feels that is on the lookout for his next prey, ready to surprise you at any time, no matter if it is a toy that you show yourself, a human leg or an insect that passes in front of your hiding place. To be in the box is to remember your spirit as a hunter.

3. Temperature

Surely you have noticed that your cat loves to lie in the sun, hide between the sheets or cushions of the sofa, and even inside the cabinets. This happens because your body needs to be at a temperature of about 36 degrees Celsius, so look for the best places to stay warm and comforted.

The cardboard boxes, because of the material they are made of, provide a warm and warm shelter for the animal, so it is not surprising that they go mad as soon as they see one inside the house.

4. Curiosity

It is completely true that cats are very curious, anyone who has one at home will have checked: always want to smell, bite and stick their head in or near those things that seem novel and interesting, so if you bought something that comes wrapped in a box will want investigate what it is about.

5. Box

The texture of the box material is perfect for the cat to scratch and bite, which I’m sure you’ve noticed that he loves it. In addition, you can sharpen your claws and mark your territory with ease.

6. The stress

Interestingly, a recent study by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Utrech, located in the Netherlands, showed that another reason why cats like the boxes so much is because it helps them to manage the stress.

The research was conducted in an animal shelter, where they chose 19 cats that were just entering the refuge, a situation that often makes the cats nervous, when they find themselves in a new place, surrounded by people and so many unknown animals.

Of the group chosen, 10 was provided with boxes and other 9 not. After a few days, it was concluded that those cats that had had a box adapted more quickly than those that did not have it, since it allowed them to have a place of their own to get away from when the environment overwhelmed them. This, of course, thanks to all the positive characteristics that we already mentioned that please the cats so much.

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