Why? Turns out, there’s several reasons.
territorial imperative
As I explain in my latest holiday rug post, we can create new territory with the mere suggestion of territory. Any demarcations attract our cats, due to their interest in geometry and dimensions. With cats, all boundaries must be explored, even virtual ones.
So we look at the shape on the floor and think “pretty sun square” while our cats look at it and see a “box” to lie in. If they sprawl, they will often center their heads in the sun box, showing even more clearly that this is a mental construct. If they are curling up, they tend to center their whole bodies, even moving as the sun does.
I went away for a weekend and Mr WayofCats reported that all the cats slept in their usual spots, exactly as though I was there. This is how they can ricochet around the room in play, or play The Floor is Lava with my furniture. They explore all the dimensions of their territory to feel comfortable in it, just as we need to know what’s in the kitchen junk drawer and where we keep the clean towels.
It can be as simple as letting them play with our reusable grocery bags (not the flimsy plastic ones, though) for a while before we put them away. Or unpacking a box and letting them use it for a while, before we recycle or reship it. Or getting them a play cube which can be folded down and put away when we need that space back.
Or opening the drapes when the sun shines in that window.
solar attraction
Cats also use the sun to heat their bodies, and give their highly charged metabolism a rest. Cats run very warm, to the benefit of our feet in the winter, and to keep them speedy, always. So if a cat can get warmth from an external source, they will.
Their normal temperature ranges from 100.5 to 102.5 degrees. So in most temperatures which are comfortable for humans, a cat needs to keep their metabolism high enough to add those extra two degrees. If they are in a warm place, their body will not have to work so hard.
I know it’s too warm when they hang out in the cool tub or a tile floor, but it’s far more likely to see our cats cuddling up to heat sources. So even if we are comfortable, our cats will appreciate the sunlight on their fur just a couple of degrees more.
Find out more about the science of solar-powered cats with Why do cats lie in the sun?
desert origins
Cats have been genetically determined to have come from the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica.) So a lot of their traits, from the unblinking stare of moisture-retaining corneas to the long hair screening the entrance to their ears, is based on doing well in a desert environment.
One of the characteristics of desert environments is that there is very little temperature retention from the atmosphere. The dry air does not retain either heat or cold. Since there are also plenty of rocks there, which do retain the heat of the day, cats now have instincts which tell them to enjoy hot spots.
And sun spots.
This rugged original terrain is what our cat’s behavior in the home tries to recreate. They get on top of bookcases, claim a kitchen stool, or hide behind the drapes because their instincts urge them to know their territory, especially all the hiding spots. Whether they are hiding from predators, or getting ready for an ambush, they need to know all the places they might fit.
Cats practice this from the time they are tiny, which is how habit gets them trying to fit into places they only remember fitting into. But trying to fit everywhere gives them feedback about the dimensions of the spot, and their own dimensions, too.
Find out more about the Original Kitty with M is for Tabby.
While some of the things our cats do are puzzling to humans, there’s usually a good reason. At least from our point of view.
From our cat’s point of view, they always have a good reason.
It’s true: a lot of the time, cats do not obey the laws of physics.
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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.
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