Why Cat Love High Places?

 Most cats like to stay in high places. Whether it's a high shelf, a perch by the window, or the top of the refrigerator, your cat may feel more comfortable in the upper half of the room, where she can keep an eye on the world around and below her with greater confidence.

Instinct plays a big part in this feline habit. Cats are tree-climbing mammals descended from Proailurus, the first true cat. Early cats were hunters and many of them lived in rainforests. Their claws enabled them to climb skillfully, taking refuge in trees to reach safety or climbing high to lie in wait for prey. In other words, climbing had survival value and was hardwired as a way of life for cats.

Height Equals Security

Why do so many of our beloved four-legged friends like to survey their kingdom from above? To answer this question, it is important to understand that cats are both predators and prey. They are predators of smaller prey, such as rabbits, rodents, and birds, to name a few. However, they are also prey themselves to larger predators, such as owls and eagles from the air and coyotes on the ground. Staying in higher places was most likely a behavior associated with an increased likelihood of survival for smaller cats. 

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Our cats climb for safety and just for fun. They will sprint up and down a tree or your curtains with the same dexterity as their ancestors did in the forest. A cat's flexible musculoskeletal system gives it exceptional coordination and balance, allowing it to jump high. Strong muscles in the hindquarters and back allow a cat to jump several times its own length, either horizontally or vertically. A cat's claws are as important to it for anchoring and leverage as grappling hooks and crampons are to rock climbers.

Watch a cat before it leaps to a high place. She leans back and stares. She seems to be calculating the angle between her location and her target. Without taking its eyes off the targeted spot, the cat suddenly takes to the air, but it doesn't land with a thud. With a graceful leap, the tom seems to hover for a moment before his paws gently touch down. Quickly making himself comfortable, the tom turns around a few times, stretching his paws in and enjoying the panoramic view from his lofty safe haven.

Staying in a high place provided a cat with a better vantage point to spot prey and predators alike. By taking to the branches of a tree, a cat can avoid larger predatory mammals, such as coyotes, that cannot climb trees. Cats can also sleep in higher places, with less risk of being chased or surprised. Cats that hide in trees also take advantage of leaves and branches, which provide the perfect camouflage to protect the cat from flying predators. Therefore, over time, cats that exhibited this tendency to perch in higher places were more likely to survive and pass on this behavior.

For example, some cats have learned to stay on top of the refrigerator because it is a low-traffic, but highly visible area and can be warm. In certain cases, it can also be a safe place for frightened cats to hide or escape if no safe, low place is available. Even if she's no longer frightened, your cat may learn to associate that high place - the refrigerator, the top of the bookshelf, the closet TV - with safety, calm, and comfort, and she may prefer to go there. And that's why you sometimes find yourself looking up at your cat!

CatsMode is a custom wood products company based in Ukraine. We are Igor and Maryna - creators of CatsMode. At our workshop we make various wooden products with inspirational designs.