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Our cat does a lot of strange things, including sitting on or inside some of the most uncomfortable things in our house.
She has several plush cat beds. She’s even got a felt tipi with a fleece blanket inside, but these aren’t her favourite places to sit.
Over the years, we’ve caught her inside delivery boxes, recycling crates, and grocery bags. We’ve found her lying over wires and cables, lounging on keyboards, clothing hangers, and reclining over hardback books, remote controls, and rucksacks.
Cat behaviour is in their DNA
It’s easy to forget that cats aren’t all that domesticated. Much of what they do is instinctual, hard-wired into their DNA. Often, they’re acting as if they still live in the desert environments they came from rather than inside a house or apartment.
In the wild, cats must be vigilant for other predators, choosing where they rest and sleeping carefully. We touched upon this in a previous post: why cats sleep on the corner of the bed.
Cats like to see what’s approaching them, and they also want a quick escape route. Cats want a good vantage point in case they need to escape quickly.
Cats also use camouflage in the wild, sitting on objects to blend into their environment. When they sit on something that breaks up the uniformity of their surroundings, it can help them hide from any predators scanning the area. Say, for example, you leave something on the carpet. Your cat is likely to feel safer sitting on that because they believe it’s harder for a predator to see. In the wild, they might sit on a tree branch or rock for the same effect.
Cats also like small spaces. It helps them feel safe. Cats would naturally seek these places in the wild.
Discomfort is also relative. Cats can fold their legs in or lie in a way that distributes their weight more easily. What we may consider uncomfortable may be perfectly acceptable to them.
Cats use pheromones
Cats also like to mark their territories with pheromones. These chemical markers are a cat’s way of ‘tagging’ specific items and areas within a territory as ‘safe’. Cats deposit pheromones on surfaces using their foreheads, cheeks, and paws. You’ve undoubtedly witnessed this behaviour regularly with your cat head-bumping and cheek-rubbing the people and things it likes. Depositing pheromones on things can help cats feel secure. We have an article about how using pheromones can help a cat feel more secure in a new home, and how using synthetic pheromones can help cats with general, or travel-related anxiety. Lying down either on or inside uncomfortable things is a way of marking that spot as belonging to them.
Cat fur is comfortable
Cats have thick fur. When they sit on things, they’re not going to feel the object as keenly as we would if we sat on it. Cats can just lie down with a built-in cushioning system.
Cats want our stuff
Cats will also lie on the things that we use. Our cat does this with our phones, laptops, and remote controls. These items carry our scent. They’re also things we use regularly, so it’s a great way for her to get our attention if she wants food or fuss (which is regularly!).
Ultimately, cats don’t view comfort in the same way that humans do. Their choice of where to lie or sit is determined by several factors, including safety, familiarity, and scent. It’s not to say that they don’t like a plush cat bed or a fluffy blanket, it’s more that they haven’t entirely shaken off their wild instincts.