Why cats squeeze into narrow cracks, even if everything looks good to them (7 photos)

When a cat runs away in terror from its owner who has taken out a carrier, a vacuum cleaner or another object of cat stress, and hides in the far corner under the sofa so that it can barely get out on its own - everything is clear, the cat got scared and dived into the first shelter it came across, squeezing into it as far as it can.





This is all a sudden cat fright, this is how it expresses itself, this is normal. But why then is a cat, absolutely happy with life (at least in appearance), sometimes found, for example, voluntarily squeezed between sofa cushions?

Or a cat that has been petted since childhood, suddenly crawls into a tight cardboard box and refuses to leave it for an hour or two, showing its owners a strange expression on its face?



This is normal

Unless, of course, the cat has lost its appetite and connection with the world. This behavior (periodic stuffing itself into cracks) is a manifestation of a normal cat's need to feel comfortable and safe, even if there were no stress factors. Well, from a human point of view, there were none. But in reality, there probably were.





For example, the fact that a cat is a territorial creature, likes to walk by itself, sit in shelters and watch the surroundings, so that it is not seen for at least a couple of hours a day - this is what she did not get today, because the household members have a day off, they are all at home.

She did not have time to be alone, and then the elusive birds outside the window angered her, the neighbors had a hammer drill cracking for an hour or a neighbor was repairing a car under the window - and so it has accumulated.



A cat can find a tight shelter just like that, to maintain mental balance. That is, she was not stressed today, but prevention is needed! People also sometimes just relax for themselves.

Why narrow cracks and tight shelters relieve cat stress and set them up for positivity

Because when a cat feels the walls of the shelter with its sides, the floor with its paws, and the ceiling with its back, it automatically calms down. This is a natural mechanism, an instinctive mind.



In nature, small cats climb under tree roots, hollows and crevices to sleep and rest in order to feel completely safe. A large predator will not fit through here - the cat is informed of this by tactile receptors on the back and sides.



As soon as the "find the safest place" program is completed, it releases the cat's brain and rewards it for the correctly performed action with a pleasant feeling of complete peace.



So, if you see a cat resting between sofa cushions or books on a shelf, you don't need to take it out and move it to a more comfortable (from your point of view) place. After all, the most comfortable place for a cat to rest is the one it has chosen itself. The exception, of course, is dangerous things and objects. But they should not be in direct access to the cat at all.