by Chase Townsend
Boxes are a favorite subject of feline study. That is because boxes are The Best Things Ever! Boxes must always be investigated for potential use as beds, toy storage, and ambush points, along with countless possibilities limited only by one’s imagination. Attraction ratings should also be a consideration when contemplating the merits of a box. No self-respecting cat will waste even one curious sniff on a dirty or torn box that makes him appear less appealing!
For reasons I do not understand, cats and humans view boxes from opposing perspectives. The feline approach is entirely positive, while humans retreat from the very notion as if boxes were undesirable and frightful things.
As a professional boxer by a variety of definitions, I am an expert on the subject, and I can tell you from seven years of experience that boxes are irresistible concepts, well worth your time to study! Among a vast assortment of other aspects, a box is:
… a status position! When you live in a multi-cat household, as I do, you will find that each box provides its own unique level of status enhancement: my box is bigger than your box, I have a box and you don’t, I got the new box while you’re stuck with the old box, and so forth. Newer boxes loaded with features such as portholes and door flaps are especially prized.
Humans play in their boxes in a similar fashion, and they don’t even realize it! Humans call their boxes by a variety of names – careers, possessions, wealth, social caste, homes, automobiles, relationships – and use them to look fancy and to compete for position, just like cats do. It is humorous, then, that humans actively despise the thought of occupying the very boxes they so deliberately pursue.
… a place to explore! No two boxes are exactly the same, even if they were manufactured to be identical. Some have lids that close behind you when you go inside. Others do not have lids at all. Some are purrfectly cat-sized, while others are large enough for two cats to share. Some are too small to climb into, but are great for swatting around or for dropping toys into in order to dig them out again. The best boxes are roomy caves with an entrance, an exit, and holes large enough for paws and toys to fit through.
Humans often confuse boxes with ruts, when they aren’t the same at all. A rut has been described as a grave that hasn’t been filled in yet. Even a cat would agree that this is true. Boxes, on the other paw, offer wonderful flexibility. You can get into them. You can get out of them. You can exchange one for the other. If you see a box you like better than your current box, you can pounce on the new one and claim it for as long as you want it – or until a larger or more clever cat ousts you and moves into that particular box. But even if this happens, there are always other boxes. Explore them all, and take your pick! How can the unlimited opportunity to choose your own box ever be considered a bad thing?
… a place to play! Cats excel at many things at which humans do not, and one of the most obvious is play time. We know how to play with utter abandon, happily putting all of our energy into enjoying ourselves! A box at playtime might be an arena in which two cats wrestle. It may be a rink in which we play mouse hockey. (Using toy mice, of course.) It may be a birdwatching station, a corral to prevent our toys from escaping, or a wonderfully shreddable medium on which to exercise our claws.
Humans who see only four walls and a floor miss out on unlimited potential when they don’t allow for playtime inside all of those boxes!
… a place to rest! Boxes are great beds for relaxing, napping, and sleeping. Think feline staycation. When we decide we’ve rested enough, we spring out of our boxes and resume our individual occupations, refreshed by the time we spent simply enjoying life.
Perhaps vacations are an area in which many humans need boxes most of all. A vacation spent rushing from one activity to the next only to fall into bed exhausted every evening is merely the temporary exchange of one rat race for another. Humans are as quick to shun rest as they are to resist boxes, as if the need for rest is weakness, and boxes are limitations. But if we don’t set intelligent boundaries that ensure we get the rest we need, we become less for that lack of physical and mental rejuvenation – not more for pretending it’s a waste of our time.
… a place to hide! Boxes are great lairs! A cat can lurk, lie in wait, or hide, completely out of sight, in a box. This is fun for a while. But not for long. What we truly want is to be found, after all.
Take the advice of a feline connoisseur of boxes. Recognize your own boxes and make the most of them. Enjoy the ones you have, get rid of the ones that have long since served their purpose, and don’t be afraid to investigate new boxes that are introduced into your life. Most important of all, know which boxes to keep, and don’t ever abandon those in which you have a rich history and the investment of a deep and true relationship, no matter how worn and tattered they may appear. Those boxes are the most rare and precious havens of all.
Explore the potential of all the boxes in your Extra~Ordinary World! 