Why do cats love being inside boxes?
If you have ever kept a cat as a pet, you must have had the experience of a cat going into an empty box and never coming out. The scientific magazine
Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much? | Discover Magazine
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/why-do-cats-love-boxes-so-much
Whether you own a cat or not, many people have probably learned through social media that cats like to stay in boxes. Even if you buy an expensive toy or cat tree for your cat, it's one of those so-called cats that prefers the empty box on Amazon.
Trust me, don't bother buying the spenny cat tree that's flat packed and took you hours to assemble with an effing allen key.
— Rozanne Stevens ???? (@RozanneStevens) September 27, 2023
Just give them a bloody box #cats #Caturday pic.twitter.com/lCbVR0OJQs
Previous research investigating why cats like to stay in boxes has shown that giving rescue cats a box to hide in can significantly reduce their stress levels.
Nicholas Dodman, an animal behaviorist and veterinarian, explains that the reason cats prefer small spaces like boxes is that it's a vestige of the days when kittens were snuggled up close to their mothers and companions. Dodman also said that ``cats entering boxes'' has important mental health effects, and ``cats need boxes and other containers to enrich their environment.'' .
Research has also revealed that cats prefer to sit not only in real boxes, but also in rectangles that exist on a flat surface or in 'virtual rectangles.' You can also find out that cats like to sit in 'virtual squares' by searching X for the hashtag '
However, when it comes to scientific research on cats, Discover says, ``There aren't as many studies on cats as you might think, because cats are such terrible research subjects. Even when you take them to a cat, they show no interest in what researchers are trying to do, and tend to walk around, hide, or just laze around.'
Therefore, cognitive ethicist Gabriela Smith, a researcher at the City University of New York's Hunter School in the United States, investigated cats' vision in their homes, where they usually live, rather than bringing them to the lab.
Research results show that cats like to sit not only in real boxes but also in ``virtual squares'' - GIGAZINE
In our research, we are investigating cats' vision by drawing rectangles on the floor with tape or by drawing ``virtual squares'' called Kanizsa squares.
The study revealed that cats prefer to ride on flat squares or Kanizsa squares rather than on empty spaces.
So pleased to announce that my paper, 'If I Fits I Sits: A Citizen Science Investigation into Illusory Contour Susceptibility in Domestic Cats (Felis silvestris catus) has just been published in AABS! #IfIFitsISits #CatSquare #CitizenScience #CommunityScience pic.twitter. com/AXbDttnOGC
— Gabriella E. Smith MA (@Explanimals) May 4, 2021
Dodman describes cats' preference for being inside flat or imaginary squares as ``a kind of placebo effect ,'' adding, ``Virtual squares provide a misplaced sense of security and physical and mental comfort.'' I might.”
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