Cat in Square: A curious aspect of cats is that if they notice a circle or square on the ground they sit inside. But how come they have this instinct? Let’s see what scholars think
It is probably just one of many aspects curious of our beloved felines. We know they love tight spaces, hiding in boxes, playing with a scratching post.
But among the most curious aspects of the cats there is what if ours kittens they see a circle or square formed on the ground, with any object, yes they sit behind. The reason? Here’s what the experts say.
The reason why cats sit in a circle or square
A starting point for this analysis was given by Danielle Matheson’s tweet (@prograpslady) in which the experiment was shown, conducted at her mother’s house. The owners of others felinesintrigued by the question, they reproduced the experiment using various objects, including adhesive tape, ribbons, sheets of paper and even shoes.
The question the scholars asked was: “What makes a space on the floor so interesting to cats’ eyes?.
A safe place
According to the scholar on the behavior of cats, Mikel Delgado, i felines they would associate the demarcated areas with a safe zone and he says: “We know that ai cats like safe spaces. It is possible that the delimitation on the floor creates some illusion of something that does not really exist. It could be confused with a low box, from which many cats they are attracted because it conveys a feeling of security. “
Another consultant on the behavior of catsIngrid Johnson agrees with the above theory, stating: “I guess they probably feel like they’re inside something. Although not very deep, it is still comfortable, offering demarcations or at least a perception of the sides “. Johnson points out that i cats they are unable to focus the images closely, so they may have the perception that the tape actually represents the sides of a confined area.
Curiosity of the cat
Another reason why i our four-legged friends are they attracted to it? Pure curiosity. “If a new object is placed on the floor, a good percentage of the cats would come closer to explore it “- says Delgado.
“Most domestic cats know every square meter of their home. Since i cats they are very sensitive to their environment, the square made with tape could only attract them because it is a new and different thing. Probably, the same thing would happen if you put a piece of cardboard or a paper bag on the floor. Lot of cats they would check it and inspect it.
Another scholar on the behavior of catsKatenna Jones agrees that this behavior is likely due to the novelty represented by square and the intrinsic curiosity of feline. “THE cats they are very good at noticing new things, especially on the floor “- says Jones.
“Most of them, if they notice a cup on the floor, will check it. They will do the same with a pen. If you put a bar of soap on the floor, it will stop and stare at it. It might happen that some cats avoid “sit inside the square”Because they are very fearful and not very convinced of having this experience.
Jones claims that i cats who show this behavior are the same ones who love boxes and beds. “I think the cat be familiar with boxes or beds, noticed a new thing, go and have a look pussycat associate the delimited space with a possible comfortable place or a hiding place. “
“He thinks he is sitting on it, because he has learned during his life that things like these are comfortable. That shape is associated with comfort, just like the cat combine a can opener with tuna “.
The experiment of cats sitting in the square or in the circle
Delgado points out that this is not the first time that the Internet has been involved in such an experiment cats.
This also happened when Reddit’s Admancb user posted a series of photos, after noticing that his cat he was attracted by the circular circuit made by a power cable, twisted in a ring. From there, he created circular figures and polygons, specifically hexagons and pentagons, with adhesive tape and the cat he jumped inside.
The experiment was repeated during the Coronavirus pandemic, when a person in the Philippines took a photo in which the Stray cats they were casually sitting in circles built to respect social distance in a Quezon City market.
Maybe i our four-legged friends they do it because they are curious or maybe they do it because they feel safe, or as Delgado says: “It’s just a way for cats to be mysterious. “