{"id":23550,"date":"2023-12-11T08:30:41","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T14:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=23550"},"modified":"2023-12-18T14:58:42","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T20:58:42","slug":"why-do-cats-like-boxes-so-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/behavior\/psychology\/why-do-cats-like-boxes-so-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Cats Like Boxes So Much?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf it fits, I sits,\u201d goes the popular cat meme. If you\u2019ve spent time around a cat, you know that they will sit in anything <\/em>if there\u2019s even the smallest amount of space. Cats and boxes go together like Christmas and gifts. And with the holidays just around the corner, don\u2019t be surprised if your feline friend likes the box more than the actual gift that was in it.<\/p>\n

But why are cats and boxes such a great\u2026fit? Well, truly knowing why a cat does what a cat does isn\u2019t always possible, but there are theories about why cats love boxes.<\/p>\n

Cat Love Boxes Because It\u2019s in Their DNA<\/h2>\n

Though your housecat doesn\u2019t have to hunt to survive, their ancestors did<\/a>. Since the beginning, cats have been \u201cambush predators,\u201d meaning that they catch or kill prey using the element of surprise. They find a hiding place and they wait for the opportunity to pounce. While your ankles might not technically be \u201cprey,\u201d if you\u2019ve ever been swatted while walking past a dark corner, you can see how this behavior has been handed down over the generations even though the only thing your cat has hunted lately has been the pet pantry. It\u2019s just in their blood to hide, and what better place to hide than a nice, dark box? Bonus points if the flaps close but don\u2019t seal for optimal pouncing access.<\/p>\n

Boxes Are Comforting to Cats<\/h2>\n

While any box is fair game to a cat, it\u2019s fair to say that they seem to prefer smaller spaces. The tightness of a smaller box might feel like a comforting hug. Everyone likes a good squeeze, and there\u2019s science to prove it.\u00a0 According to a study published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cDeep touch pressure is the type of surface pressure that is exerted in most types of firm touching, holding, stroking, petting of animals, or swaddling. In contrast, light touch pressure is a more superficial stimulation of the skin, such as tickling, very light touch, or moving hairs on the skin. In animals, the tickle of a fly landing on the skin may cause a cow to kick, but the firm touch of the farmer’s hands quiets her. Occupational therapists have observed that a very light touch alerts the nervous system, but deep pressure is relaxing and calming.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Whether it\u2019s from the snugness of the tight space or just having their own little place to call their own, boxes have proven to be calming for cats in stressful situations. In one study<\/a>, shelter cats suffering from chronic stress showed a distinct reduction in stress levels if they were given a \u201chiding box.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cats Like Boxes Because They\u2019re Cozy<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s proven that cats like to be warm, and not just by the fact that they are always trying to sit on your laptop. The National Research Council<\/a> once reported that a cat\u2019s preferred temperature is from 86 to 97 degrees F, which is far toastier than most people keep their homes (although it sometimes doesn\u2019t seem this way when you\u2019re at Grandma\u2019s for a holiday gathering!). Seeking warmth when you\u2019re cold is a survival instinct, and what better way to get warm than by snuggling into a cozy box that you can quickly raise to your body temperature? Since most cats sleep 12\u00ad\u201318 hours per day<\/a>, it\u2019s no wonder that boxes are so popular among the feline set. A good box solves a whole lot of cat problems!<\/p>\n

Boxes Are Scratchworthy<\/h2>\n

Anyone with a shredded piece of furniture knows that cats love to scratch<\/a>. Even declawed cats<\/a> like to go through the motions of scratching. But what cats love to scratch most is textured things, and a brown cardboard or corrugated box provides oodles of texture for their pointy little claws to shred. And better a shredded box than a shredded couch, right?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let Your Cat Box Themselves In<\/h2>\n

So when your cat turns their little nose up at their real presents this holiday season and opts to check out all the discarded gift boxes around the house, don\u2019t be offended.<\/p>\n

If you could find one item for your life that provides warmth and comfort, offers a great place to nap, destresses your life and<\/em> lets you exercise your most compulsive hobbies, wouldn\u2019t you spend as much time there as possible? That\u2019s what boxes do for cats.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

RELATED POST: STRESS COULD OPEN CATS UP TO PANDORA SYNDROME<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf it fits, I sits,\u201d goes the popular cat meme. If you\u2019ve spent time around a cat, you know that they will sit in anything if there\u2019s even the smallest amount of space. Cats and boxes go together like Christmas and gifts. And with the holidays just around the corner, don\u2019t be surprised if your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Why Do Cats Like Boxes?","_seopress_titles_desc":"Dive into the reasons behind cats' affection for boxes, from DNA instincts to comfort and warmth. Learn why these cozy spaces are irresistible to so many cats!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[201,283],"tags":[100,461,893,12,134],"class_list":["post-23550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behavior","category-psychology","tag-cat","tag-cat-behavior","tag-cat-habits","tag-cats","tag-diamond-pet-foods"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}