Why does our cat always play with his toys behind our curtains?

Why does our cat always play with his toys behind our curtains? This is a very typical domestic cat play strategy.

It’s because cats create challenges when play-hunting. My cat stuffs his toys under the the furniture and tries to poke them out; same difference. I think they are replicating what they would find in the wild if they were wild cats. It is part of their play style.

Cats also knock objects off high surfaces. They are animating the object. The underlying motivation is similar. Boredom and the slightly sterile environment of the home compared to the real wild is a motivator too.

Cat behind a curtain
Cat behind a curtain. Photo: Pinterest.
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

I don’t believe domestic cats deliberately and rationally decide to push a toy behind the curtain. It’s a natural process carried out instinctively to recreate what might happen in the wild when, for instance, trying to catch a mouse. Mice hide behind curtains and under furniture when brought into the home and when outside will compress themselves into small spaces and crevices when chased by a predator.

This creates a challenge for the cat which he or she recreates in play.

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There is another point to be made too. When pushing around toys a cat will almost inevitably push them into the edges and corners of a room where there are curtains if their are double doors in front of a patio door (‘French Doors’ in the UK).

Furniture is also placed around a room so, once again, play items get pushed towards these pieces of furniture and under them eventually. This is a practical reason.

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