Kitties of all sizes love their creature comforts. Cats and cardboard boxes have already been an eternal Internet sensation, but the antics are not exclusively reserved for domesticated varieties. A clever zookeeper was determined to see if this trend extends to their larger ancestors. As his new footage shows, the comfy cardboard abodes even appeal to big cats like tigers!
The striped felines slowly dismantle the box with their amused hijinks. They also look up at the camera expectantly when the walls collapse. After pawing at it for a little while, they finally consider moving on to something else. It is an adorably hilarious clip to watch!
So, what’s the big deal with cats and boxes anyway? Well, there are many evolutionary reasons for the intrigue. Primarily, cats are programmed to seek confined areas that prevent access from other predators. These compact cardboard vessels simulate the caves that are abundant for cats in nature.
In this sense, the big cats weren’t being momentarily domestic; in fact, it’s the complete other way around. Playing with a cardboard box actually signals that your little house cat is being wild. The allure of cardboard increases substantially when a threat is perceived, so homes with multiple felines will notice serious competition over the boxes! Each cat clearly thinks, “If I fits, I sits!”
Cats had everything in the wild, so their domestication never made much sense from a historical standpoint. Today, it is all made clear: They just wanted to be close to us for our boxes!