Cat lovers know that no matter what newfangled scratching post or toy you buy for your four-legged friend, the only item that will always arouse his interest is a cardboard box. Moreover, the size and shape in this case do not matter. How to explain such attraction?
According to scientists, the love of cats for boxes is explained by the centuries-old evolution of animals and is directly related to the behavior of their distant ancestors.1. By their nature, cats are predators, and it is very convenient for them to follow the victim from such a shelter, even if soft toys or your slippers take on this role at home.
On the other hand, in nature there are predators that are more terrible and more greedy than cats, and distant relatives of their four-legged friends had to hide from them in the bushes and thickets. That’s why climbing into a cramped box for domestic cats is a completely natural behavior.
Apparently, this natural mechanism is embedded in animals so deeply that the presence or absence of a box can affect their mental health and behavior. Scientists from the University of Utrecht managed to prove this during experiments on stray kittens.2. They gave parts of them to cardboard boxes and then compared the behavior of the babies. It turned out that cats with boxes quickly adapted to the new conditions of the shelter, were more open to interacting with people, their stress level was lower than that of kittens who were left without such a shelter.
Very useful information for pet owners who, in a fit of great love, literally throw their pets with various unnecessary things. Now, knowing what your cats want, you can give him or her unprecedented pleasure: just find him another box, and the pet will be very grateful to you. You can be sure of this!
1 https://www.inverse.com/article/38257-why-do-cats-like-boxes
2 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159114002366