Bert Swope
Cats are one of the most wonderful pets, and many homeowners like to own a single cat or a few of them. Along with dogs, they make excellent company. They are extremely cute and would like to keep themselves scrupulously clean. They are also playful and could help in ensuring that the owners reduce stress and tension. If people are staying alone, as it happens quite frequently these days, a cat can help a lot in removing loneliness and solitude. However, like all other pets, cats need a good place to live. Though many cat owners design special homes for these feline beauties, most cats have a fascination and liking for making cardboard boxes as their homes. Are you keen on getting answers to the question as to why cats love cardboard boxes? If yes, it would be a good idea to go through this article. It may help the readers to understand a few reasons as to why cats have a fascination for cardboard boxes. In spite of best efforts, many veteran cat-owners are not able to find out why cats continue to enjoy staying in cardboard boxes. Though most questions remain unanswered, there are perhaps a few reasons that make these feline pets so attached to cardboard boxes. We share a few possible reasons for this unexplained love between cats and cardboards.
Security And Safety
Security and safety are perhaps one of the most important reasons for cats having a special relationship with cardboard boxes. Cats seek and love enclosed spaces. Seeking enclosed spaces is the obvious and most common response of these pets when they are either afraid or stressed. It is more of an instinct for them. Seeking enclosed spaces is perhaps because when they are inside a box, cats are confident that nothing can sneak up to her either from the side or from the back. Cats will be able to enjoy a direct field of vision and will be in a position to see anything that is approaching. The boxes provide a mechanism for coping with stressful things and events, and it helps to relieve anxiety for them. Seeking enclosed spaces is especially true for cats who are new entrants into a home.
They Find It A Fun Place
Cats love to be always in a playful and happy mood. When they are on cardboard, they find it full of fun. They love to roll around in the cardboard boxes, and they also have great fun jumping in and out of it. If you have toys in the cardboard or outside the box, they love to pounce on the same from the insides of the cardboard. Cats do love a fuzzy ball, and they would not mind playing with it for some time. However, if you can provide them with a cardboard box, they would be too happy about it. It perhaps would make them feel that they are in cloud nine. They will consider this as a priceless gift and would not mind playing in it for hours at length.
It Helps Them To Develop Their Instincts
Cats, as we all know, have predatory instincts. They love to hide and then pounce on their prey. We all know that wild cats are one of the finest predators. They enjoy watching, hiding and stalking their prey. They wait for the opportune moment. They love to jump out of their hiding place and ambush the prey. Though domestic cats don’t hunt for their survival, their instincts are still at play. They love to indulge in their instincts from inside the cardboard because it gives them the right environment, surroundings, protection, and hiding space.
They Enjoy Scratching And Chewing
If you are a cat lover and have a few cats in your home, you will certainly know that they are notorious scratchers. They always like to sharpen their claws on the couch, and you also would see them doing it to your curtains and carpets. Cardboard boxes are ideal for scratching. They relish the way it feels when they sink their razor-sharp claws into the cardboard.
Further, the cat’s paws also have scent pads. When they scratch, their claws leave behind a scent on the various things. They love to mark the cardboard and surrounding areas with their scent, and this helps them to mark their territory. Cats like other pets are extremely territorial, and cardboard boxes help them to protect their territorial integrity.
They Love The Warmth
Cats love to stay put in certain temperatures ranging from 86 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit. In most homes, the temperature ranges from 72 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit. They feel cold when the temperature is below 86 degrees. Therefore, it is quite obvious that cats feel warmer and cozier in cardboard boxes. They would not mind the insides of the cardboard boxes stuffed with newspapers and other such soft things.
They Love To Sleep In Cardboard Boxes
It would not be the right decision to invest in expensive and fancy cat beds. All that your pet cat wants is a blanket inside the cardboard boxes. They are psychologically attracted to the boxes because they provide a luxurious and cozy place to sleep. It may not look luxurious to us mortal human beings, but your feline pet certainly loves sleeping in them for hours at length. They find cardboard boxes to be a favorite hiding place and would like to curl up and sleep in a place that they think is very safe and comfortable.
How To Make The Cardboard Box Comfortable
The above certainly should have given the readers a reasonably good understanding of the eternal love between cats and cardboards. It is a very simple, cost-effective and wonderful way to show your love to these awesome feline pets. Be sure that the cardboard is of the right size. It should not be too big or too small. Ensure that the cardboard is safe and remove all pin, staplers and other such things that might hurt the pets. Yes, you will have to change the cardboard boxes once in a while because your cat will damage it for sure within a few weeks or months. You certainly will not mind doing this much to your beloved cat, and you can be sure that it will remain ever grateful to you and will be a wonderful company for many years and decades.
