Cats Who Have Cardboard Boxes Are Less Stressed Out And Heal Faster
Cats do not need much convincing when a cardboard box shows up, but this story suggests the appeal may go beyond simple playtime. A study from the University of Utrecht looked at newly sheltered cats in a Dutch shelter and compared animals that had boxes with those that did not.
The setup was small, with 19 cats in total and 10 of them given a box, but the results were hard to ignore. The cats with boxes seemed to settle in faster, and their recovery looked smoother too.
That makes an ordinary shipping box look a lot more interesting.
The results showed that the cats with the boxes adapted to their environment more quickly and recovered faster as well.
Within three to four days, there was a significant difference between the two groups of cats. The researchers, C.M. Vinke, L.M. Godijn, and W.J.R. van der Leij, noted that "Stressful experiences can have a major impact on the cats' welfare and may cause higher incidences of infectious diseases in shelters due to raised cortisol levels causing immunodeficiency." According to Dr. Kelly Brogan, a psychiatrist, "Creating a safe and comforting environment is crucial for reducing stress in animals, much like it is for humans." While several studies have shown the preference for hiding places and the stress-reducing effects of hiding boxes on cats, none have determined if proper hiding enrichment would be effective in a quarantine cattery.
The study was done over two weeks.
The researchers used the Kessler and Turner Cat-Stress Score (CSS) to assess the cats' stress levels. The group of cats with the boxes recorded a lower mean CSS than their non-box counterparts, which proved they had lower stress levels. The scores within the box group were also much more stable than the higher variance between scores that the non-box group exhibited.
This is also in line with how cats became the internet’s favorite distraction.
After the two weeks, the CSS of both groups was the same, but the box group was better off after only the third day. This led to the conclusion that cats with a box to hide in are able to recover in a new environment more quickly, as it helps keep their stress levels down.
The next step for research involving cats and boxes would be to test it on household cats and see if keeping boxes around has any long-term effects. Research may also be conducted on hiding boxes used for cats during infectious disease outbreaks.
What do you think? Does your cat love boxes too?!
Before you go, check out 15+ moments that capture the joyous chaos of living with cats.
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