273 Cats & Boxes

A while back, I was home alone one morning (Bonnie was out at one of her book clubs, or somewhere) when I looked up from my chair and noticed that Cissy (one of our cats, short for Narcissa) was flopping in one of the several “cat beds” we have around the house, which happened, at that moment, to be sitting on the footstool in front of Bonnie’s chair.  Her position amused me enough that I took her picture as an example of a “contented” cat.

As I was watching her, it struck me that this pose was a not all that dissimilar to one I have often observed cats taking in actual boxes of various sizes and shapes.  That got me to thinking … always a dangerous thing to have happen.

I suspect that almost any cat servant (Dogs have Masters, Cats have staff!) will be aware of the fact that many (perhaps all) cats seem to like to sit in boxes.  Those boxes tend to be cardboard, but can be a wide variety of materials, shapes, and sizes.  However, if one has one, or more, cats and leaves almost any box sitting around open for a while, more than likely, sooner or later, some cat is going to climb into it, sit down, sometimes curl up, and be quite happy to be there for a while as long as they are just left alone to enjoy “their” box.

No, I have NOT gone over the edge.  Others HAVE noticed this phenomenon.  It’s apparently common enough that Bonnie was able to buy a pair of socks (shown below) in the gift shop of our local art museum.  This suggests to me that the images may have been “borrowed” from some famous artist, although I couldn’t begin to tell you which one (and I HAVE looked a bit).

So, I am NOT just making this up!  In fact, a fair number of others have not only noticed this behavior, but also have commented upon it.  Some of the clearest comments, perhaps, come from the cartoonist, Jim Davis, who is known for his observations on the world of cats featuring his creation, Garfield.  For example,

Lest some disbelieving reader still think that this is really just some sort of myth, in spite of my belief, I enclose a picture which Bonnie’s niece (Leslie, the Vet.) sent us of one of her cats recently, demonstrating precisely this sort of behavior.

The actual box (in this case) was, in fact, 8.5” square (Leslie measured it!) and appears to be about the same in height, although that’s a guess.  Obviously, it was a “just right” fit for this particular cat.

While observing this phenomenon, I have noticed that different cats seem to prefer different sizes and shapes in their boxes.  For example, in the picture below, George, one of our cats, who passed away a while back, is clearly demonstrating that he was perfectly comfortable with a somewhat “looser” fit, but I think that’s quite understandable.   After all, cats, like people, have their own distinctly different personalities, as they have every right to have, and this sort of preference is simply one way of expressing that.  

So, it appears to be a fact of life in the world of “catdom” that different cats like different sizes and shapes of boxes, but the passion for boxes seems to be universal.  Again, I defer to Jim Davis, by offering this Garfield strip from last July as evidence of the truth of my observations.  Of course, I know that I probably haven’t convinced some people, but they are probably dog lovers, a notoriously untrustworthy breed of cat. 

So, for them, I also MUST include this from Non Sequitur which goes a long way to explaining the idea that cats may be much like art critics in making their selections — I guess it really depends on the cat.  Or, perhaps the yarn is the draw here?  I have considerable doubts!

Still, I’m convinced that there is something to this “cats and boxes” thing.  Bonnie shared with me the picture below which she found on one of the embroidery pattern sites which she checks regularly.  

One of these days she’s going to find time to embroider out some of the patterns she has collected over the years on things (although I must confess that I collect more “potential Blog material” from cartoons, etc. than I will, almost certainly, EVER use.)  In the meantime, her “collection” is often of interest and/or amusement.

Just a few days ago, I was also amused when I ran across this cartoon from Off the Mark:

I confess, such a store (and they DO exist) would appear to be heavenly to cats, if they were admitted.

I expect I shall return with some additional claptrap in a couple of weeks.  Who knows where the strange device I call my mind will have gone by then?  I guess we’ll all find out when the time comes….
While we wait to see what develops, I suggest sitting down with your cat and enjoying a good “petting and purring” session. They are wonderfully helpful on these cold, yucky days.

🖖🏼 LLAP,

​Dr. B

P.S.    I wish to add a quick note to wish the Macintosh computer a Happy 40th Anniversary of its introduction.  I didn’t have one of the very first ones (I was still happily using an Apple II+), but I did move into “Macintosh world” fairly quickly, and have been quite happy there ever since.    RSB