Cats have a funny habit of squeezing into odd places: small corners, paper bags, drawers, boxes. It’s a given that once you adopt a cat, one of the many first things they’ll do to feel at home is finding a cozy nook (re: box, hamper, etc.) to settle in. Have you ever wondered why this is so? After all, there are so many cute toys and beds for cats. Why choose a plain old cardboard box that’s sure to get worn out in just a short amount of time?
Apparently, there’s a theory that cats love boxes because it’s great for reducing stress. As funny as it sounds, cats actually feeling stressed out (seeing as how they’re perceived as the indifferent and callous divas in the world of pets), the theory that explains their love for boxes has solidly been studied and tested.
Before you scoff and laughingly ask what cats, aka the divas of the pet world, even have to stress about, you should know that this mind-blowing theory has seriously been studied and tested back in 2014 by researchers from the University of Utrecht.
The study was carried out in a Dutch center and involved 19 shelter cats. Out of the 19 cats, 10 were given a box. It didn’t take long for the scientists to observe differences in behavior between the cats who had boxes and those who didn’t.
Another amazing tool used in this study was the Kessler and Turner Cat-Stress Score, or the CSS. By using the test to support their observations, scientists were able to conclude that cats in boxes had lower stress levels. “The hiding box seems to be an important enrichment for the cat to cope effectively with stressors in a new shelter environment the first few weeks after arrival.”
This makes a lot of sense – how many instances have we seen cats automatically head for boxes when they enter a room or when they’ve just been adopted and brought to their new home?
Scientists also stated that, “Stressful experiences can have a major impact on the cats’ welfare and may cause higher incidences of infectious diseases in shelters due to raised cortisol levels causing immunodeficiency. Though several studies showed a preference for hiding places and stress-reducing effects of hiding boxes on cats in combined studies, none of these studies determined if proper hiding enrichment would be effective in a quarantine cattery.”
There you have it – a concrete explanation supported by thorough research on why these adorable cats prefer boxes over beds and toys. So next time you go online shopping, be sure to save the box for your cat. It’ll be put to good use.
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