Why do cats like to hide in boxes? Have you "grown a cat" on your cardboard box?

We often see various videos of cats drilling boxes online, and their cute appearance makes people laugh. But have you ever wondered why cats like to hide in boxes? Zoologists have found that this is a way for cats to gain a sense of security.

Release stress

Vegetarian Claudia Fink of the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, is one of the researchers who have paid attention to the stress levels of shelter cats in recent years. In a Dutch animal shelter, she divided the newly arrived domestic cats into two groups, providing boxes for one group and not the other. She found a significant difference in stress levels in the two groups of cats. In the new environment, those cats who have obtained the box adapt significantly faster, have much lower stress levels, and are more willing to interact with humans.

Cats like to hide in boxes for these reasons

When almost all cats encounter a nervous situation, their first reaction is to retreat and hide. “Hide is a behavioral strategy cats take when they encounter changes and stress,” Claudia Fink said. This is true whether it is for cats in the wild or cats living in your home. However, cats in the wild will hide in the tops of trees or caves, while cats in your family will seek peace in their shoe boxes.

Discovering issues in a safe place

There is an important issue that needs to be pointed out, cats are actually not good at resolving conflicts. To quote the words from "Domestic Cats: Biology Behind Behaviors": "Cats do not seem to have developed conflict resolution strategies like other species that are more adaptable to social life, so they may avoid intense encounters by avoiding each other or reducing activity."

Therefore, cats tend to avoid problems rather than solve them. In this sense, a box often represents a safe zone, a place where all anxiety, hostility and unnecessary attention will all disappear.

For the sake of warmth, witty observers will find that cats not only like boxes, but also relax in many eccentric places. Some will curl up in the sink, while others will like to hide in shoes, bowls, shopping bags, coffee cups, empty egg boxes and other small and confined spaces. This leads to another reason why cats like small boxes (and other seemingly uncomfortable spaces): they feel cold.

According to a 2006 National Research Council study, the thermal neutral band of domestic cats (the minimum ambient temperature range for individuals with constant temperature animals) is 30 to 36 degrees Celsius, within which cats will feel comfortable without generating excess heat to maintain body temperature or consuming metabolic energy to cool down. This temperature range is just about 6.7 degrees Celsius higher than the thermal neutral zone of humans, so you don't have to be surprised if you see your neighbor's cat lying in the middle of the asphalt road in the summer.

This also explains why many cats like to curl up in small boxes and other strangely tight spaces. Corrugated cardboard is a good insulation, and the narrow spaces make the cat curl up, which in turn helps it preserve heat. In fact, the National Research Council study also found that the surrounding temperature of most cats’ nests is around 22 degrees Celsius, which is about 10 degrees Celsius lower than the minimum value of the cat’s thermal neutral band.