Socially distancing cat. Pic in public domain.

The picture is amusing. It’s cute but do you know the reason why this cat is siting plumb bang in the middle of the circle on the floor? It is because cats find it makes them feel more secure. There’s been a lot of focus on this on social media because it is amusing. Domestic cats are known to migrate to circles marked with anything that comes to hand, or squares. It does not have to be a circle. There just has to a boundary. It’s the boundary which makes them feel more secure. It is as of some domestic cats are agoraphobic. This is my theory, incidentally, but I know of no other. If you have one tell me.

If I am correct it means that some domestic cats (not all do this) are insecure. They feel anxious. I am certain that a percentage of domestic cats feel anxious a lot of the time but hardly show it. It might be because they live in a human world which is daunting to them. And/or they are stressed because of the difficulty in setting and holding on to territorial boundaries.

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