Thinking Inside the Box
By Andrea Carne
“If it fits, I sits.” How many Facebook memes and YouTube videos depicting cats squished into boxes and other small spaces have you chuckled over? It might be a packing box, a shoebox, even an egg carton – often far too small to actually fit the cat comfortably – and yet the said cats seem blissfully happy with their chosen spaces. While no definitive research study has come up with an answer, most behavior consultants agree boxes and other small, enclosed spaces provide a safe, secure hiding spot from which cats can observe the world. It is also thought that a well-insulated box with a snug fit helps keep their body temperature at a comfortable level to promote good sleep (very important when you consider they sleep on average around 16 hours a day!). But is there something more powerful about a humble cardboard box that cats seemingly are drawn to? Could they actually be instrumental in improving a cat’s health and general well-being? From the July 2019 issue Read article