Unintelligible passion for emptiness. Why do some cats love the square of Canigou

Mysterious cat behavior is constantly being studied by scientists.

And the closer they get to unraveling one phenomenon or another, the more convinced they become that there is no mystique in the actions and behavior of cats.

These animals are simply as smart as humans, or maybe even surpass us in their mental abilities.

Everyone knows about cats' love for boxes.

Of course there are individuals who ignore them for some reason (living conditions, breed, temperament), but for the most part, cats love any cardboard packaging.

This is explained by the fact that when climbing inside such a box, a cat feels as comfortable and secure as possible, even if it does not always completely fit inside.

After all, the wild ancestors of cats often climbed trees and rested there, confident that they wouldn't be found by a larger predator. And trees and paper have a similar texture.

Furthermore, a box is warm, as paper and cardboard are never cold.

And because of the walls of their shelter, they can observe what is happening. For a cat, this is like sitting in ambush, seeing everything themselves and remaining unnoticed by others.

However, not only the boxes themselves attract domestic cats. Scientists have noticed that a cat can be satisfied with an imaginary box.

Perhaps some of us have already conducted an interesting experiment with their pet, where a square is made on the floor using sticky tape.

In other words, it appears to be drawn on the floor. Then the cat is called and either directed to this figure on the floor or finds it on its own.

And often the cat climbed inside such a square, sat there calmly for some time, or even lay down to sleep.

It must be acknowledged that not all cats found this interesting.

I conducted such an experiment with my two pets. One of our cats gladly walked inside the figure and proudly sat there for some time.

The other ignored everything, not even looking at what was depicted on the floor.

It was clear to me why they reacted differently.

Simply put, the first one loves boxes and often climbs into them.

As for the second cat, it does not acknowledge them at all. The only thing that could make this cat climb into a cardboard box is if you put catnip inside. In all other cases, it is completely ignored.

What can we do, different cats have different preferences for different things.

But scientists have gone further, in addition to the visible outline of a square on the floor, they suggested to the cats a Kanizsa square.

Kanizsa illusion - a construction that is not a square, but only creates the illusion of one.

Thus, Gabriella Smith from the City University of New York conducted an interesting experiment involving more than 30 cats.

She laid out a conventional square made of thin ribbons on the floor (an imaginary house/box for cats) and a Kanizsa square, where there were no "walls" or lines as such, only corners.

Surprisingly, some cats entered both the square and sat between the corners located on the floor. In other words, they mentally drew lines between them and built imaginary walls.

This is an indicator that cats have very well-developed spatial thinking.

In other words, these animals are truly smart, and there is no mystery or mystique here.

However, when the angles are arranged in the opposite direction, so that they do not create an illusion, in this case, cats did not choose them as a resting place and did not enter.

This experiment is best conducted in natural, home conditions, when a cat is in its natural environment and does not show concern due to unfamiliar surroundings.

Scientists believe that cats also use these imaginary houses as a form of shelter, to be alone, protect themselves from external irritants, rest.

I also tried to conduct a similar experiment with my two cats, but so far they have not shown much interest. Perhaps the situation was not suitable, and they were not in the mood.