Have Cats Always Liked Boxes?

We've all seen the cute, funny images running rampant on the internet. Cats inside boxes of all sizes but have they always done this...or is just more noticeable in the age of the internet.

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There's much information, especially scientific mumbo jumbo on the psychology of cats. They do all kinds of stuff that makes us question nature. Like, how do they purr? Some say cats swallow bees which causes the purring vibrations. That's not true but you can believe it if you want.

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What I'm really curious about is their fascination with boxes. Apparently, cats lay in them to keep feeling secure in a confined area. It makes them feel more secure and comfortable which is probably why you can find them hiding in other places like under the couch. But how long have we known about their liking to boxes? It's like all of sudden, because the internet. With all the resources at our fingertips, all I keep finding are images of cats in boxes.

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Every search I come across brings up big cats in little boxes, little cats in big boxes or even large cats in large boxes. At least we can rest comfortably knowing we have extensive documentation of cats enjoying boxes from at least 2006. When the future generation looks through our internet history, they'll know how much we love cats. Hey, maybe we'll even be ruled by cats since we're so obsessed with them.

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There is, however, slight evidence of an earlier generation of cats enjoying similar objects. This photo is dated from 1870 and shows some cats in a basket. It's not quite the same but in time more boxes came what with UPS and Amazon. There are probably enough boxes in the world to give to every little kitten on the planet. This early photograph puts me at some ease. I know it's hard to document everything from the past but this is one step closer to realizing how much people love cats and how much those cats love boxes.