*This post was migrated from our old site and lost all of the images. =^.^=
We have found the silver lining in the dreaded Costco run beyond pizza and hotdogs. They are free, they are brown, and they are your cat's best friend. Boxes! If there's one thing NEKO Cat Cafe and everyone else knows about cats, it's that they have a strange and undying love for the cardboard boxes. But why do they love them so much?
In an article published by Wired titled, What's Up With That That: Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much? Author Bryan Gardiner suggests an obvious reason being that "cats are ambush predators, and boxes provide great hiding places to stalk and prey from (or retreat to)." But Gardiner explains that similarly to how us 'hoomans' need morning coffee to keep us sane, cats not only love boxes, they need them.
Wired quotes a 2006 study by the National Research Council that states cats are most comfortable living between 86 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit, and most of us don't keep our houses that warm, ever. Cats use boxes for insulation to stay cozy, which is especially helpful in Seattle's cold and cloudy fall and winter months.
Research has also gone on to show that cats use boxes as a safe space if they're feeling anxious and need somewhere comfortable to hide.
So remember, next time you go to Costco, make sure you say "yes" when they ask if you would like a box for your groceries. Your cat will thank you.
Meow!
