Why Do Cats Like Boxes?

As soon as you have emptied your shopping, your cat steals your bag? Find out why boxes fascinate him! Cats love boxes no matter their size, whether they are gigantic or too small to accommodate them, they can’t help but jump or squeeze inside. 

This sometimes causes rather funny situations. Hundreds of videos of this phenomenon are circulating on the Internet, in fact, they are rather amusing scenes. But can we demonstrate their usefulness for the well-being of the cat? If you want to know why cats like boxes?, know that the reasons are different!

The boxes are a safe haven

I still remember when my human brought me home for the first time. I was so scared! I had just left my mother cat and my little brothers and arrived in this new house, with lots of humans (small and large), lots of furniture and lots of smells that I didn’t know. So, when I noticed there was a box in the corner, I ran for it and jumped in! For me it was a safe and welcoming place.

Thankfully, my humans had learnedwhat the new kitten needs when it arrives home and they had placed a soft cloth inside the box plus another comfortable bed on the other side of the room. After a while, I finally got out of the box and started exploring my new home… And it’s really nice here, now that I’ve grown up and gotten used to everything.

A box is the perfect place to hide

The main reason cats love boxes is that they are confined spaces with only one side open and provide them with a great sense of protection. These animals are small predators, so they can also be prey. Even in a safe space their instinct tells them, correctly, that a box is a much safer refuge than a bed or couch. Delve into the world of constant meows from cat in this article. Understand the potential reasons behind your feline friend’s consistent vocalization, exploring the nuances of cat communication and gaining insights into addressing their needs for a harmonious human-feline relationship.

Not only does it hide them, but they only have to pay attention to what is happening in one direction since, unlike herbivores, they do not have a panoramic vision. In a box, any possible threat has to come directly into their field of vision and therefore nothing will catch them by surprise, allowing them to react in time and, if necessary, escape.

They are a safe place in Stressful situations

Researchers from Utrecht University carried out a study in a Dutch shelter on 19 cats looking for adoption and found that being in a box reduced their cortisol levels. Which is the same effect that humans get by petting a dog or a cat even for just ten minutes. Stressful experiences can have a major impact on the well-being of cats and can cause increased incidences of infectious diseases.

This is especially true in shelters, where incidences of stress-induced immunodeficiency are high. “The hiding place seems to be an important enrichment for the cat to cope with stress in a new environment, which they are not familiar with, and in which they will stay temporarily, such as a refuge,” say the researchers, who are now trying to determine the effect that a cardboard hideout can also be used for cats living indoors.

A Nice Warm One

Anyone who has a cat will surely have noticed it. The smaller the box, the more cats will try to get stuck in it (confirmation in the video below). The reason may have to do with the ambient temperature. The ideal temperature for cats is 30-36 degrees, at least 10 degrees higher than ours. And cardboard – especially packaging cardboard – is a perfect insulator: if it remains adhered to the fur, it saves the feline from a large energy expenditure, which is necessary to keep warm.

Why The Cardboard Ones In Particular?

This all makes a lot of sense, but why do cats seem to show special devotion to cardboard boxes ? The answer lies in the properties of the material itself. Cardboard is an excellent insulator and has a nice texture to lie on; In summer, in addition, it is not as hot as a fabric surface such as a bed.

On the other hand, a cardboard box is both a shelter and a scratching post . Cats like to sharpen their nails and this material fulfills this function very well. Furthermore, unlike many conventional scratchers, they can bite and break them: it is known that these small felines have a certain destructive streak as they tend to get bored, so a cardboard box is a perfect toy to release stress.

Safety Tips

Before giving your cat a cardboard box to play with, there are a few things to watch out for:

• Remove any staples that may be in the cardboard. These can inadvertently hit the cat or cause a wound that could become infected.
• Remove any string or ties that may have been used to close the box as they pose a foreign body risk to cats.
• Leave the box on a sturdy surface , such as the floor, and place it on its widest side so it is less prone to tipping over.
• If you are packing boxes for a move , make sure your cat hasn’t gotten into one before sealing it.

When can my cat need a box?

Whatever the age or nature of your cat, offering him a box can be useful in some delicate phases in a feline’s life such as a move, drastic changes in his environment or the addition of a new family member, which be it a boyfriend, a child or another pet. The same applies when you want to make a change in his routine or feeding program, as well as if he has obvious problems with socialization or using the litter box correctly.

What to do if you want to recycle the box?

At some point, you will probably want to recycle the box that your cat has become attached to, so that it doesn’t clutter up the house. Our advice is to leave it out as long as the cat seems interested .

However, if getting rid of them to tidy up is of utmost importance, start by placing other items in the box first, providing alternative options , then letting your cat “vote” on which item he spends the most time entertaining. These items might include a blanket, a toy, some catnip, a cat-smelling towel, or a bed that the pet finds comforting. Once the pet has adapted to the new object, try moving him to a place outside the box that is similarly enclosed, so he feels safe. If you are sure that the cat is fine, you can dispose of the box.

Alternatively, since many cats like to have multiple sleeping options, you can try offering multiple boxes at once. This way, as your pet explores and becomes familiar with a new box, you can recycle the old one.