Mary Jo Putney

Mary Jo Putney

Patricia Rice

Patricia Rice

Susan Fraser King

Susan Fraser King

Anne Gracie

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Nicola Cornick

Nicola Cornick

Andrea Penrose

Andrea Penrose

Christina Courtenay

Christina Courtenay

Boxsitting

by

Joanna here, pondering that puzzling phenomenon of the holiday season — boxsitting.

Cattsitting 12 cc michelleagain The affinity of cats for boxes remains one of the great evolutionary mysteries.  What possible competitive advantage does a small predator gain from fitting into a box? 

Science is baffled. 

Yet, worldwide, millions of cats of all stripes and persuasions practice boxsitting.

Wenches boxsitting 7The argument that this behavior is not some genetic happenstance, but ancient cat custom, is a strong one.  There's a notable increase in boxsitting toward the end of the year.  Is it merely an increase in the number of available boxes?  Or could boxsitting be related to the Roman Festival of Janus, God of Doorways, celebrated the first of January?

Janus-Vatican2x2Web Cats can be seen paying their everyday homage to Janus by passing, slowly, lingeringly, through doorways, stropping on the doorframe.

(You've wondered why they do this.  Now you know.)
Cats may perform this doorway ritual several times an hour. 

Wenches boxsitting 6Janus, who oversees 'openings and closings' in general, is also considered the patron of crates, cartons and packaging.  Perhaps this is why cats find the occupation of boxes an act of particular merit. 

Boxsitting — mysterious hereditary urge or ancient ritual?  Catwatchers can only speculate as discarded Christmas boxes fill with felines and the New Year approaches. 

photocredits: redbox Michelleagain

160 thoughts on “Boxsitting”

  1. I love this post. So true. No doubt it all started with the sphinx, sitting on his big box.
    My cat was extremely skilled at bag-sitting. Preferably brown paper bag sitting, or perhaps lurking is a better word. Lurk, crackle, pounce!
    Happy Hogmanay!

    Reply

  2. I love this post. So true. No doubt it all started with the sphinx, sitting on his big box.
    My cat was extremely skilled at bag-sitting. Preferably brown paper bag sitting, or perhaps lurking is a better word. Lurk, crackle, pounce!
    Happy Hogmanay!

    Reply

  3. I love this post. So true. No doubt it all started with the sphinx, sitting on his big box.
    My cat was extremely skilled at bag-sitting. Preferably brown paper bag sitting, or perhaps lurking is a better word. Lurk, crackle, pounce!
    Happy Hogmanay!

    Reply

  4. I love this post. So true. No doubt it all started with the sphinx, sitting on his big box.
    My cat was extremely skilled at bag-sitting. Preferably brown paper bag sitting, or perhaps lurking is a better word. Lurk, crackle, pounce!
    Happy Hogmanay!

    Reply

  5. I love this post. So true. No doubt it all started with the sphinx, sitting on his big box.
    My cat was extremely skilled at bag-sitting. Preferably brown paper bag sitting, or perhaps lurking is a better word. Lurk, crackle, pounce!
    Happy Hogmanay!

    Reply

  6. Boxes….sinks, paper towel and toilet tissue rollers, clicker ink pens, milk carton caps, blanket fringe, and other shiny, jiggly, wiggly things ; )
    I have seven “rescue” cats who are my darling cat-children. We all very much enjoyed your post! >^,,^<

    Reply

  7. Boxes….sinks, paper towel and toilet tissue rollers, clicker ink pens, milk carton caps, blanket fringe, and other shiny, jiggly, wiggly things ; )
    I have seven “rescue” cats who are my darling cat-children. We all very much enjoyed your post! >^,,^<

    Reply

  8. Boxes….sinks, paper towel and toilet tissue rollers, clicker ink pens, milk carton caps, blanket fringe, and other shiny, jiggly, wiggly things ; )
    I have seven “rescue” cats who are my darling cat-children. We all very much enjoyed your post! >^,,^<

    Reply

  9. Boxes….sinks, paper towel and toilet tissue rollers, clicker ink pens, milk carton caps, blanket fringe, and other shiny, jiggly, wiggly things ; )
    I have seven “rescue” cats who are my darling cat-children. We all very much enjoyed your post! >^,,^<

    Reply

  10. Boxes….sinks, paper towel and toilet tissue rollers, clicker ink pens, milk carton caps, blanket fringe, and other shiny, jiggly, wiggly things ; )
    I have seven “rescue” cats who are my darling cat-children. We all very much enjoyed your post! >^,,^<

    Reply

  16. You’ve obviously never met Maru! Bare in mind (and is it bear? or bare? the debate rages on!) that Maru is Asian (Japanese, I think) so you need to translate the pages on Youtube, but you could get lost for hours watching Maru and his boxes.
    http://goo.gl/hPTGx
    The fact that he’s a Scottish Fold and too darn cute for words helps…
    My cat just likes paper bags. Doesn’t matter what size. If it’s open, she’s in it.

    Reply

  17. You’ve obviously never met Maru! Bare in mind (and is it bear? or bare? the debate rages on!) that Maru is Asian (Japanese, I think) so you need to translate the pages on Youtube, but you could get lost for hours watching Maru and his boxes.
    http://goo.gl/hPTGx
    The fact that he’s a Scottish Fold and too darn cute for words helps…
    My cat just likes paper bags. Doesn’t matter what size. If it’s open, she’s in it.

    Reply

  18. You’ve obviously never met Maru! Bare in mind (and is it bear? or bare? the debate rages on!) that Maru is Asian (Japanese, I think) so you need to translate the pages on Youtube, but you could get lost for hours watching Maru and his boxes.
    http://goo.gl/hPTGx
    The fact that he’s a Scottish Fold and too darn cute for words helps…
    My cat just likes paper bags. Doesn’t matter what size. If it’s open, she’s in it.

    Reply

  19. You’ve obviously never met Maru! Bare in mind (and is it bear? or bare? the debate rages on!) that Maru is Asian (Japanese, I think) so you need to translate the pages on Youtube, but you could get lost for hours watching Maru and his boxes.
    http://goo.gl/hPTGx
    The fact that he’s a Scottish Fold and too darn cute for words helps…
    My cat just likes paper bags. Doesn’t matter what size. If it’s open, she’s in it.

    Reply

  20. You’ve obviously never met Maru! Bare in mind (and is it bear? or bare? the debate rages on!) that Maru is Asian (Japanese, I think) so you need to translate the pages on Youtube, but you could get lost for hours watching Maru and his boxes.
    http://goo.gl/hPTGx
    The fact that he’s a Scottish Fold and too darn cute for words helps…
    My cat just likes paper bags. Doesn’t matter what size. If it’s open, she’s in it.

    Reply

  21. My mother and dad have several farm cats and one of their big yellow cats likes to sit in the birdfeeder. We haven’t figured out if it’s because he’s ever so hopeful of catching a bird or he likes the 3-sided coziness of it.
    We have a Yorkie and he likes to sit on anything of my husband’s whether it be his shirt or pillow or jacket.

    Reply

  22. My mother and dad have several farm cats and one of their big yellow cats likes to sit in the birdfeeder. We haven’t figured out if it’s because he’s ever so hopeful of catching a bird or he likes the 3-sided coziness of it.
    We have a Yorkie and he likes to sit on anything of my husband’s whether it be his shirt or pillow or jacket.

    Reply

  23. My mother and dad have several farm cats and one of their big yellow cats likes to sit in the birdfeeder. We haven’t figured out if it’s because he’s ever so hopeful of catching a bird or he likes the 3-sided coziness of it.
    We have a Yorkie and he likes to sit on anything of my husband’s whether it be his shirt or pillow or jacket.

    Reply

  24. My mother and dad have several farm cats and one of their big yellow cats likes to sit in the birdfeeder. We haven’t figured out if it’s because he’s ever so hopeful of catching a bird or he likes the 3-sided coziness of it.
    We have a Yorkie and he likes to sit on anything of my husband’s whether it be his shirt or pillow or jacket.

    Reply

  25. My mother and dad have several farm cats and one of their big yellow cats likes to sit in the birdfeeder. We haven’t figured out if it’s because he’s ever so hopeful of catching a bird or he likes the 3-sided coziness of it.
    We have a Yorkie and he likes to sit on anything of my husband’s whether it be his shirt or pillow or jacket.

    Reply

  26. Great Post, Joanna! And Theo, thanks for sharing the youtube vid. Absolutely priceless.
    Here’s another theory on why cats seek out boxes — the smaller the better. “Take me back, Oh Great Mother Cat, I can find no intelligent life out here!”

    Reply

  27. Great Post, Joanna! And Theo, thanks for sharing the youtube vid. Absolutely priceless.
    Here’s another theory on why cats seek out boxes — the smaller the better. “Take me back, Oh Great Mother Cat, I can find no intelligent life out here!”

    Reply

  28. Great Post, Joanna! And Theo, thanks for sharing the youtube vid. Absolutely priceless.
    Here’s another theory on why cats seek out boxes — the smaller the better. “Take me back, Oh Great Mother Cat, I can find no intelligent life out here!”

    Reply

  29. Great Post, Joanna! And Theo, thanks for sharing the youtube vid. Absolutely priceless.
    Here’s another theory on why cats seek out boxes — the smaller the better. “Take me back, Oh Great Mother Cat, I can find no intelligent life out here!”

    Reply

  30. Great Post, Joanna! And Theo, thanks for sharing the youtube vid. Absolutely priceless.
    Here’s another theory on why cats seek out boxes — the smaller the better. “Take me back, Oh Great Mother Cat, I can find no intelligent life out here!”

    Reply

  36. For the purposes of research, I checked out a couple of boxes where they were currently residing and asked if it was hereditary urge or mystic ritual, but they just gave me that mysterious sphinx gaze….

    Reply

  37. For the purposes of research, I checked out a couple of boxes where they were currently residing and asked if it was hereditary urge or mystic ritual, but they just gave me that mysterious sphinx gaze….

    Reply

  38. For the purposes of research, I checked out a couple of boxes where they were currently residing and asked if it was hereditary urge or mystic ritual, but they just gave me that mysterious sphinx gaze….

    Reply

  39. For the purposes of research, I checked out a couple of boxes where they were currently residing and asked if it was hereditary urge or mystic ritual, but they just gave me that mysterious sphinx gaze….

    Reply

  40. For the purposes of research, I checked out a couple of boxes where they were currently residing and asked if it was hereditary urge or mystic ritual, but they just gave me that mysterious sphinx gaze….

    Reply

  61. Hi Deb —
    Speaking of your Yorkie — there’s a whole cat thing where they sit on whatever paper you need. They’ll come all the way across the house to sit on the water bill you’re trying to pay.
    It’s some kind of uncanny cat radar.

    Reply

  62. Hi Deb —
    Speaking of your Yorkie — there’s a whole cat thing where they sit on whatever paper you need. They’ll come all the way across the house to sit on the water bill you’re trying to pay.
    It’s some kind of uncanny cat radar.

    Reply

  63. Hi Deb —
    Speaking of your Yorkie — there’s a whole cat thing where they sit on whatever paper you need. They’ll come all the way across the house to sit on the water bill you’re trying to pay.
    It’s some kind of uncanny cat radar.

    Reply

  64. Hi Deb —
    Speaking of your Yorkie — there’s a whole cat thing where they sit on whatever paper you need. They’ll come all the way across the house to sit on the water bill you’re trying to pay.
    It’s some kind of uncanny cat radar.

    Reply

  65. Hi Deb —
    Speaking of your Yorkie — there’s a whole cat thing where they sit on whatever paper you need. They’ll come all the way across the house to sit on the water bill you’re trying to pay.
    It’s some kind of uncanny cat radar.

    Reply

  91. Such adorable photos! Cats don’t like to be vulnerable out in the open so they like having things around them like a box. Other times they just enjoy the feline fun of jumping in and out of them. Cathie (with two cats at my feet right now, but sure they’ll jump in a box soon. I have who takes a flying leap into the cat box

    Reply

  92. Such adorable photos! Cats don’t like to be vulnerable out in the open so they like having things around them like a box. Other times they just enjoy the feline fun of jumping in and out of them. Cathie (with two cats at my feet right now, but sure they’ll jump in a box soon. I have who takes a flying leap into the cat box

    Reply

  93. Such adorable photos! Cats don’t like to be vulnerable out in the open so they like having things around them like a box. Other times they just enjoy the feline fun of jumping in and out of them. Cathie (with two cats at my feet right now, but sure they’ll jump in a box soon. I have who takes a flying leap into the cat box

    Reply

  94. Such adorable photos! Cats don’t like to be vulnerable out in the open so they like having things around them like a box. Other times they just enjoy the feline fun of jumping in and out of them. Cathie (with two cats at my feet right now, but sure they’ll jump in a box soon. I have who takes a flying leap into the cat box

    Reply

  95. Such adorable photos! Cats don’t like to be vulnerable out in the open so they like having things around them like a box. Other times they just enjoy the feline fun of jumping in and out of them. Cathie (with two cats at my feet right now, but sure they’ll jump in a box soon. I have who takes a flying leap into the cat box

    Reply

  101. Joanna, I am absolutely a Maru fan! Some days, when I’ve had about all I can take and there’s still five or six hours left in the day, I sit back and watch Maru videos. I love, love, love the Maru and the Big Box one where he catapults *out* of the box and it looks like someone’s throwing him out. Ican, unfortunately, spend hours watching him.
    For those of you who are familiar with my cat Molly, btw, she no longer lives on top of my kitchen cupboards. I think she’s just gotten too old to get up there anymore. She’s moved into the bottom one on the end of the sink. Occasionally, one of the dogs will try to find her and I see a paw shoot out to whap them on the nose. She’s also out more now than ever which makes me think she’s also developed dementia…

    Reply

  102. Joanna, I am absolutely a Maru fan! Some days, when I’ve had about all I can take and there’s still five or six hours left in the day, I sit back and watch Maru videos. I love, love, love the Maru and the Big Box one where he catapults *out* of the box and it looks like someone’s throwing him out. Ican, unfortunately, spend hours watching him.
    For those of you who are familiar with my cat Molly, btw, she no longer lives on top of my kitchen cupboards. I think she’s just gotten too old to get up there anymore. She’s moved into the bottom one on the end of the sink. Occasionally, one of the dogs will try to find her and I see a paw shoot out to whap them on the nose. She’s also out more now than ever which makes me think she’s also developed dementia…

    Reply

  103. Joanna, I am absolutely a Maru fan! Some days, when I’ve had about all I can take and there’s still five or six hours left in the day, I sit back and watch Maru videos. I love, love, love the Maru and the Big Box one where he catapults *out* of the box and it looks like someone’s throwing him out. Ican, unfortunately, spend hours watching him.
    For those of you who are familiar with my cat Molly, btw, she no longer lives on top of my kitchen cupboards. I think she’s just gotten too old to get up there anymore. She’s moved into the bottom one on the end of the sink. Occasionally, one of the dogs will try to find her and I see a paw shoot out to whap them on the nose. She’s also out more now than ever which makes me think she’s also developed dementia…

    Reply

  104. Joanna, I am absolutely a Maru fan! Some days, when I’ve had about all I can take and there’s still five or six hours left in the day, I sit back and watch Maru videos. I love, love, love the Maru and the Big Box one where he catapults *out* of the box and it looks like someone’s throwing him out. Ican, unfortunately, spend hours watching him.
    For those of you who are familiar with my cat Molly, btw, she no longer lives on top of my kitchen cupboards. I think she’s just gotten too old to get up there anymore. She’s moved into the bottom one on the end of the sink. Occasionally, one of the dogs will try to find her and I see a paw shoot out to whap them on the nose. She’s also out more now than ever which makes me think she’s also developed dementia…

    Reply

  105. Joanna, I am absolutely a Maru fan! Some days, when I’ve had about all I can take and there’s still five or six hours left in the day, I sit back and watch Maru videos. I love, love, love the Maru and the Big Box one where he catapults *out* of the box and it looks like someone’s throwing him out. Ican, unfortunately, spend hours watching him.
    For those of you who are familiar with my cat Molly, btw, she no longer lives on top of my kitchen cupboards. I think she’s just gotten too old to get up there anymore. She’s moved into the bottom one on the end of the sink. Occasionally, one of the dogs will try to find her and I see a paw shoot out to whap them on the nose. She’s also out more now than ever which makes me think she’s also developed dementia…

    Reply

  106. I like the one with the black cat. We have two black ones, Angel and Angel’s Shadow. They love boxes, paper sacks, plastic sacks…anything they can get into.

    Reply

  107. I like the one with the black cat. We have two black ones, Angel and Angel’s Shadow. They love boxes, paper sacks, plastic sacks…anything they can get into.

    Reply

  108. I like the one with the black cat. We have two black ones, Angel and Angel’s Shadow. They love boxes, paper sacks, plastic sacks…anything they can get into.

    Reply

  109. I like the one with the black cat. We have two black ones, Angel and Angel’s Shadow. They love boxes, paper sacks, plastic sacks…anything they can get into.

    Reply

  110. I like the one with the black cat. We have two black ones, Angel and Angel’s Shadow. They love boxes, paper sacks, plastic sacks…anything they can get into.

    Reply

  111. Hi Theo —
    Maru and the too small boxes continues to delight me. The imponderable depth of the eye. The lashing of the tail . . .
    I had a cat who used to get up on top of the fridge and sneer down upon the lesser mortals.

    Reply

  112. Hi Theo —
    Maru and the too small boxes continues to delight me. The imponderable depth of the eye. The lashing of the tail . . .
    I had a cat who used to get up on top of the fridge and sneer down upon the lesser mortals.

    Reply

  113. Hi Theo —
    Maru and the too small boxes continues to delight me. The imponderable depth of the eye. The lashing of the tail . . .
    I had a cat who used to get up on top of the fridge and sneer down upon the lesser mortals.

    Reply

  114. Hi Theo —
    Maru and the too small boxes continues to delight me. The imponderable depth of the eye. The lashing of the tail . . .
    I had a cat who used to get up on top of the fridge and sneer down upon the lesser mortals.

    Reply

  115. Hi Theo —
    Maru and the too small boxes continues to delight me. The imponderable depth of the eye. The lashing of the tail . . .
    I had a cat who used to get up on top of the fridge and sneer down upon the lesser mortals.

    Reply

  121. So true. I just chased one our cats out of the recycling box. We have two cats at the moment. One is much more of a box cat than the other. He has been known to crawl into empty paper bags too. We bought one of those kitty condos with little cubbyholes for the cats to hide in. Perfect, just like a box. Just like a child who plays with the boxes instead of the present that can in it, so with our cats. They would never get into those nice little rooms. I would have been better off stacking boxes and letting they have that.

    Reply

  122. So true. I just chased one our cats out of the recycling box. We have two cats at the moment. One is much more of a box cat than the other. He has been known to crawl into empty paper bags too. We bought one of those kitty condos with little cubbyholes for the cats to hide in. Perfect, just like a box. Just like a child who plays with the boxes instead of the present that can in it, so with our cats. They would never get into those nice little rooms. I would have been better off stacking boxes and letting they have that.

    Reply

  123. So true. I just chased one our cats out of the recycling box. We have two cats at the moment. One is much more of a box cat than the other. He has been known to crawl into empty paper bags too. We bought one of those kitty condos with little cubbyholes for the cats to hide in. Perfect, just like a box. Just like a child who plays with the boxes instead of the present that can in it, so with our cats. They would never get into those nice little rooms. I would have been better off stacking boxes and letting they have that.

    Reply

  124. So true. I just chased one our cats out of the recycling box. We have two cats at the moment. One is much more of a box cat than the other. He has been known to crawl into empty paper bags too. We bought one of those kitty condos with little cubbyholes for the cats to hide in. Perfect, just like a box. Just like a child who plays with the boxes instead of the present that can in it, so with our cats. They would never get into those nice little rooms. I would have been better off stacking boxes and letting they have that.

    Reply

  125. So true. I just chased one our cats out of the recycling box. We have two cats at the moment. One is much more of a box cat than the other. He has been known to crawl into empty paper bags too. We bought one of those kitty condos with little cubbyholes for the cats to hide in. Perfect, just like a box. Just like a child who plays with the boxes instead of the present that can in it, so with our cats. They would never get into those nice little rooms. I would have been better off stacking boxes and letting they have that.

    Reply

  126. Hi librarypat —
    The stacking kitty condos work well for some. My B-i-L had a pair of Siamese who loved them.
    My own cats — and I speak from a lifetime of experience — merely gaze at them politely, as if to say, “You have odd taste in art.”

    Reply

  127. Hi librarypat —
    The stacking kitty condos work well for some. My B-i-L had a pair of Siamese who loved them.
    My own cats — and I speak from a lifetime of experience — merely gaze at them politely, as if to say, “You have odd taste in art.”

    Reply

  128. Hi librarypat —
    The stacking kitty condos work well for some. My B-i-L had a pair of Siamese who loved them.
    My own cats — and I speak from a lifetime of experience — merely gaze at them politely, as if to say, “You have odd taste in art.”

    Reply

  129. Hi librarypat —
    The stacking kitty condos work well for some. My B-i-L had a pair of Siamese who loved them.
    My own cats — and I speak from a lifetime of experience — merely gaze at them politely, as if to say, “You have odd taste in art.”

    Reply

  130. Hi librarypat —
    The stacking kitty condos work well for some. My B-i-L had a pair of Siamese who loved them.
    My own cats — and I speak from a lifetime of experience — merely gaze at them politely, as if to say, “You have odd taste in art.”

    Reply

  131. There’s currently a TV commercial (for cat litter!) involving cats and boxes. The first clip shows a fat cat suddenly DIVING into a long narrow box — and then collapsing on his tum, half in and half out, hind legs spread frog-style.
    Like most commercials, it runs far too often — but that cat cracks me up every time!

    Reply

  132. There’s currently a TV commercial (for cat litter!) involving cats and boxes. The first clip shows a fat cat suddenly DIVING into a long narrow box — and then collapsing on his tum, half in and half out, hind legs spread frog-style.
    Like most commercials, it runs far too often — but that cat cracks me up every time!

    Reply

  133. There’s currently a TV commercial (for cat litter!) involving cats and boxes. The first clip shows a fat cat suddenly DIVING into a long narrow box — and then collapsing on his tum, half in and half out, hind legs spread frog-style.
    Like most commercials, it runs far too often — but that cat cracks me up every time!

    Reply

  134. There’s currently a TV commercial (for cat litter!) involving cats and boxes. The first clip shows a fat cat suddenly DIVING into a long narrow box — and then collapsing on his tum, half in and half out, hind legs spread frog-style.
    Like most commercials, it runs far too often — but that cat cracks me up every time!

    Reply

  135. There’s currently a TV commercial (for cat litter!) involving cats and boxes. The first clip shows a fat cat suddenly DIVING into a long narrow box — and then collapsing on his tum, half in and half out, hind legs spread frog-style.
    Like most commercials, it runs far too often — but that cat cracks me up every time!

    Reply

  146. I should figure out how to ask my cats, because one loves boxes and suitcases and containers and paper bags, and the other guy… he’s into heights.
    Great post, Jo!

    Reply

  147. I should figure out how to ask my cats, because one loves boxes and suitcases and containers and paper bags, and the other guy… he’s into heights.
    Great post, Jo!

    Reply

  148. I should figure out how to ask my cats, because one loves boxes and suitcases and containers and paper bags, and the other guy… he’s into heights.
    Great post, Jo!

    Reply

  149. I should figure out how to ask my cats, because one loves boxes and suitcases and containers and paper bags, and the other guy… he’s into heights.
    Great post, Jo!

    Reply

  150. I should figure out how to ask my cats, because one loves boxes and suitcases and containers and paper bags, and the other guy… he’s into heights.
    Great post, Jo!

    Reply

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