Why Do Cats Like Boxes?
Why do cats like boxes so much? When you can’t find your cat, you can pretty much guess they’re hanging out in a discarded Amazon box, a shopping bag, the laundry basket, or an empty suitcase that’s lying around.
So why is that? It’s an instinctual behavior. For wild cats, an enclosed space lets them hide from predators, or secretly stalk their prey.
Researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands found that cats find comfort and security from chilling out in a cardboard box. While they’re in a box, cats feel like they can’t be snuck up on from behind or the side. Anything that wants to approach them has to come directly into their field of vision. So hiding spots allow cats to watch the world around them without being seen.
Boxes also provide cats with a cozy, safe place to sleep, which is very important given that cats sleep for up to 20 hours a day.