Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much?

You buy an expensive new toy, and your cat ignores it and climbs into the box it came in. Every cat owner has seen it. Why do cats love boxes so much?

1. Hiding spot = safe spot

Cats are hunters, but they can also be prey for larger animals. So they relax in spaces enclosed on the sides that still let them look out.

In 2014, researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands split newly arrived shelter cats into two groups and gave only one group a box to hide in. The cats with boxes saw their stress scores drop faster and adapted to their new surroundings sooner. To a cat, a box is a kind of safe base.

2. It’s warm

Cats are comfortable at noticeably higher temperatures than people are. Curled up in a small box, a cat holds its body heat well, and cardboard traps warmth. It’s the same reason cats seek out boxes, blankets and warm laptops in winter.

3. Ambush instinct

Rather than chasing prey over long distances, cats hide and pounce. A box is the perfect spot to stay hidden while watching movement outside. Peeking out with just their eyes and then leaping out comes straight from this instinct.

4. It doesn’t even need to be a real box?

A fun study came out in 2021. Researchers asked cat owners to place a square taped on the floor, and a set of corner shapes arranged to form an illusory square. The cats sat not only inside the real squares but inside the illusory ones too.

The internet saying “If I fits, I sits” turned out to have some science behind it. The number of cats was small, though, and the researchers said more study is needed.

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Tips for cat owners

• Give a newly adopted cat a box to hide in. It helps them settle.
• Cut a peephole in the box so they can hide and watch at the same time.
• Remove tape and staples first.

Curious what your weekend self is like? 👉 What Animal Are You on Weekends?