Cats Who Love Boxes
by Elisa Black-Taylor
(USA)
Baby Furby loved boxes
This story is dedicated to those of us who have cats who love boxes. I'm sure MANY cat lover's have cats who can't resist the charm of a good old-fashioned box.
It makes me laugh to see all of the expensive cat beds on the market because after thirty years of raising and caring for cats I've come to accept the feline truth:cats prefer a box.
There are even online clubs for cats who love boxes. So I don't feel I'm depriving my cats of a fancy store-bought bed.
Personally, I love banana boxes. Those are the ones that are really sturdy and have handles and round "peepholes" all around the sides. This way a cat can become "invisible" while watching the world from inside it's very own box.
The first toy I purchased for Furby was a Turbo Scratcher. He loves it. He also loved the packing paper that came with it. I think he was upset with me the day I moved the paper off of the couch and into the garbage.
Cassie has been my biggest box lover. She took over a banana box on her first day with us. For the first month and a half she only emerged from her box condo long enough to eat and go to the litter box. Her box was her fortress. I'm convinced that in her mind nothing could follow her into her box. This included my resident cats and dogs. She slept alone on a pet thermal pad. Unfortunately over time the other cats decided to try out cat box living. So Cassie either had to move over and share or get out. She chose to share her box with the others.
I began with one banana box. Now I have three. Each box has a comfortable blanket. Two of them are on my kitchen bar and one is on my kitchen floor. It's so much fun trying to guess which cat will be in which box each day when I emerge into my kitchen.
These cats don't seem to realize their homes were FREE and not something that cost a fortune online or in a store. They think they're being spoiled. And cat box ownership is a sign of rank and acceptance at my house.
Do any of you have cats who prefer a simple box to an expensive bed? Do any of the readers here have any tips on how to personalize a bed other than with a comfortable blanket?
Elisa
