Why do cats love the box more than the gift?
Amazon! We humans love our Amazon delivery day. As adults we can make Christmas any time of the year we want it to be. And so can your cats.
The box arrives. It’s time for that awesome new cat toy-thing-a-ma-jiggy! When you open it and your joy at providing your dearest beloved cat its newest flip-flop-mousetacular is crushed by the cat’s utter disinterest in anything but the box and brown paper, you raise your hands to the air and cry out, “Why does she never want my gifts?”
It’s pretty clear to see that cats like to hide and lurk in the most strategic of ways. While the kitchen table leg might provide enough coverage for that one eye to secretly watch the world, better still would be able to tuck into a dark hole where the cat has safety from all sides and the added pleasure of body heat. If something of a particular nibble value passes by, much the better to be able to pounce on it from the dark recesses of the cat cave and dart back inside.
Most of the cat’s day to day is made up of seeking out security wherever and whenever it can. Food is security, Your company is security, and playing is security in training for a future good hunt. Finding a dark space to watch and recoup is one of the greatest of securities. The more security a cat can find within its human household, the more balanced they will be, and the less likely they will have issues that can be stressful on you and on the cat.
It’s also just a nice place to get that hour or two (or ten) of much needed cat sleep. Cats are super sensitive to all the goings on of the world; sights, sounds, smells, vibrations in the air and through the ground. With all the stimulus a cat processes throughout a day, having that dark space to get away from it all can be of immense benefit to the over-all behavioral well-being of your feline friend. Don’t we all wish for that quiet hobbit hole to crawl into? Remember the indoor forts we constructed as kids? Ah, those were the days. We can learn a lot from a cat!
So, let those boxes prevail. My home often looks like a packing-shipping warehouse, boxes acting as mini cat condos. Guests? Inviting friends over for dinner? Spontaneous movie nights with my best buds? I will say I have some very understanding friends! But at least I have some happily balanced cats tucked away in happy cat condo land.
