Animals Pets Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much? Boxes aren't just fun and games for your kitty. By Laura Moss Laura Moss Writer University of South Carolina Laura Moss is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience writing about science, nature, culture, and the environment. Learn about our editorial process Updated July 19, 2022 Share Twitter Pinterest Email For a cat, a box offers hours of entertainment — and it doesn't hurt that they look cute in them too. andrewpotter4/Shutterstock Animals Wildlife Pets Animal Rights Endangered Species Cats love boxes: big boxes, small boxes, even items that resemble boxes, such as drawers, sinks and laundry baskets. But what is it about boxes that sends our feline friends into a frenzy? Cats are instinctively drawn to boxes because they offer security. The confined space provides protection from predators, and it’s a great place to stalk prey while remaining virtually unseen. Climbing onto, jumping into and hiding in boxes is simply part of a cat's natural behavior, so providing an empty box or two is an inexpensive way to enrich your pet’s environment. Why This Matters to Treehugger At Treehugger, we are advocates of animal welfare, including our pets and other domestic animals. The better we understand our cats, the better we can support and protect their wellbeing. We hope our readers will adopt rescue pets instead of shopping from breeders or pet stores, and will also consider supporting local animal shelters. Leave a box in a safe place for your cat to play. You can drop in a couple of favorite toys or cut a few holes in the side so he can peek through or stick out a paw to swat at toys—or people. Boxes also offer safe, cozy places for felines to nap. Cats sleep 18 to 20 hours a day, so it makes sense they’d seek out places where they’d be safe from attack. Place a blanket in a box that's about the right size for your cat and it will likely become one of his favorite places to nap. The confined space provides a sense of safety, and the sides of the box help maintain the animal’s body heat. But while all cats instinctively appreciate a good box, no feline seems to enjoy cardboard quite as much as Maru, the Internet-famous cat with more than 800,000 YouTube subscribers. In a 2010 interview with cat blog LoveMeow, Maru (as told to the blogger behind the website) said, "I don’t know why, but I can't seem to stop going into a box when I see one. When I nap, I like a small box because it is snug and fits me just right. However, when I play, I prefer a huge one." Watch Maru interact with some of his favorite boxes in the videos below. Maru fits Maru's big box Maru's box experiment Big cats love boxes too.