Why Does My Cat Like to Sit in Tiny Boxes?

If I fits, I sits! It doesn’t matter if the space will fit them- they make themselves fit. 

Cats instinctively feel more comfortable in close spaces, very similarly to how newborn humans like to be swaddled! The tight and cozy spaces are much more secure and familiar. When a mother cat is looking for a safe place to birth kittens, they seek out somewhere calm and quiet to protect themselves from being exposed to the possible dangers in wide open places while they are in a vulnerable state. Boxes and other tight places will remind a cat of the comfort they received from their momma cat in their early kitten stage.

In fact, if you’d like to try a fun little experiment, take some tape (or even a sheet of paper) and make a cat sized space on the floor. Most cats will sit in the space. Plenty of cat owners have laughed about how they can ‘lose their cat’ in their own home or apartment. In fact, if I can’t find one of my guys, I’m sure to find him if I look in the drawers under my bed! He figured out long ago how to open the drawers, and it’s by far his favorite spot in the house to take a break from the craziness.

Cats need to have the availability of convenient hiding places to be alone, decompress and relax. When they are in open spaces without a possibility to ‘escape’ at their own leisure it will cause their stress to build over time. Boxes are great fun for your cat, especially in addition to plenty of other cat friendly furniture. If having boxes around is not your thing, cat caves and cat trees with hidey holes are especially good at fulfilling your cats innate need for a quiet place!