It’s a cats life: why a cardboard box beats a basket any day

Even Austrian physicist, Erwin Schrödinger, knew that cats and boxes are a «purrfect match». In a thought experiment conducted in 1935, he proved that it’s impossible to tell if a cat that’s sitting in a box containing radioactive substances is dead or alive if you can’t see it. Almost 90 years later, a trending hashtag «If it fits, I sits» has come about online and you can see house cats squeezing into cardboard containers everywhere. Even their relatives, the big cats, succumb to the charm of boxes:

Reasons for cardboard love

Somehow cats and cardboard boxes seem to be magically attracted to each other. And perhaps you’re still trying to wrap your head around why that is. Especially when you’ve spent a small fortune on a new cat bed that your four-legged friend isn’t interested in. So it’s time to think «outside the box». Here are five reasons they love cardboard:

1. Hiding

Cats prefer to observe what’s happening around them from a safe hideaway. Cardboard boxes are the perfect place to retreat to because they usually only have one opening and are sealed all around them. From a cat’s perspective that means they can’t be ambushed.

2. Comfort

The four tight walls around the cat’s body not only provide safety, but also a feeling of security. Even as kittens, our four-legged friends snuggle in-between their mother and siblings. So cardboard makes a wonderful cuddly substitute.

3. Relaxation

Cats not only feel safe in cardboard boxes, but also very relaxed. This was established in a study in 1993. At an animal shelter, new cats who had just moved in were given boxes. Those who were able to crawl into them were much more relaxed and got used to their new surroundings more quickly. So after a move it makes perfect sense to leave the (empty) boxes around for a while.

4. Temperature

Cats are most comfortable at a temperature of 30 to 37 degrees. Room temperature is therefore too cool for them and they have to expend additional energy. That’s not the case in a cardboard box. Cardboard is a material which insulates particularly well and provides your four-legged friend with optimum warmth.

5. Texture

Yes, some cats behave like rodents. Cardboard is a suitable material for many animals to chew on or bite into. My colleague Lorenz Keller’s cats, for example, are veritable punching machines and leave bite holes on every single cardboard box:

Squares

In 2021, a study came to the conclusion that cats also like to sit in taped-off squares. The investigation gave way to the «CatSquare» social media campaign where pet owners recorded their pets’ reactions to squares of adhesive tape:

So do square shapes generally have magic powers over cats? This hasn’t been confirmed yet. The number of animals in the study was too small. But it’s quite possible that cardboard boxes also have an attractive shape from a cat’s point of view.

Simplicity

So if you’re still scrolling through the 4,400 cat beds on our website in search of the perfect place for your furry friend to sleep in, don’t let it drive you crazy. Your cat will probably prefer the classic in the end anyway:

Storage boxes

Galaxus Moving box (set of 10)

56 x 35 x 30 cm, 60 l

150

Storage boxes

Galaxus Moving box (set of 10)

56 x 35 x 30 cm, 60 l

150

Do your cats also like to hide in boxes? Share your stories in the comments.