Cat Circles?

[Caspers Human]

Anybody got any clues why cats like circles?

Newspapers, I get.  Crinkly, wrinkly fun! 

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• Caspers Human
• Feb 24, 2016

The idea is simple.  Make a circle on the floor.  Can be anything.  Tape.  Random objects.  A line of chalk.  Anything.

A few minutes later, your cat will come over and sit inside the circle.

It's not a newspaper or a box.  It's just a circle.  But, still cats can't seem to resist.  (At least, some cats can't resist.)

Casper seems to like a circle of yarn.  We came downstairs one morning, last week, and there he was sitting in a circle.  He just looked up as if to say, "Something the matter?"  There he sat for a good ten minutes!

I know...  Cats is cats!

But this is just puzzling... in a funny sort of way.

Any opinions? 

 

[Columbine]

Interesting Shadow loves sitting in the middle of his Catit track toy....which I have set as a circle. It never occurred to me that he'd like it purely because of the shape :lol3:

Cats - gotta love their quirks :heart4:

 

[yayi]

I believe it's just them telling us they are in the "circle of attention". Browse the internet and check what I mean! 

 

 

[misterwhiskers]

Robin does this with my cable and Internet wires! Might try with tape on carpet, just to see. Lol did not know this was a "cat thing"...it must serve some biological purpose, though what that is, who knows. One of life's mysteries!!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

HUH!  I'll have to explore this...maybe it is because they "circle up" to sleep?  Dunno...but must explore!

 

[magister]

HUH!  I'll have to explore this...maybe it is because they "circle up" to sleep?  Dunno...but must explore!

Actually, I'd say that's pretty close to the mark.


If I had to guess, I'd say it's instinctive programming (probably very deeply ingrained), relating to settling and sleeping behaviour. A cat that circles before settling, tends to try to settle in the middle of the circle its ‘created’. Likewise, it makes a certain sense that the sight of a circle may trigger the same subconscious, ingrained settling reflex; possibly it may trigger a calming reflex as well, and so instinctively be attractive.


What also would be interesting, is to check whether the cat turns within the circle before settling. I'd be prepared to bet that in most cases it does. In effect, it's tracing out the nice, calming circle, then snuggling down to settle.


Of course, I'm going to have now to try this with my three. Lots of circles coming up.

 

[Margret]

Have you noticed them cuddling into a cold, porcelain sink?  It fits, which is the only thing it has going for it.

Check out this web page: http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-teachers-teaching-wins-students/

Note the physics teacher's definition of "liquid"  (number 30, the very last one, and, no, I'm sure the cat in the picture isn't drowning).  I'd say this physics teacher definitely knows cats.

Margret

 

[bobkater]

A circle is the perfect (2D) figure or shape, and cats being perfect (3D) figures or shapes themselves are attracted by perfection. It’s purrfect seeks purrfect…

Hmmm….

Maybe it’s subconsciously related to a cat’s known affinity to boxes. A circle is the footprint of a circular box. A bit like a flat photo reminding us of the object is depicts.

But has anybody tried drawing a square to see if the cat still places himself inside it? If he does, the above assertion begins to acquire substance.

 

[Margret]

I had a cat once who liked to sit on newspaper, when someone had left it on the floor.  Then one day she happened to throw up while sitting on the newspaper, was heavily praised for throwing up there instead of on the carpet, and became positively addicted to sitting on paper. 

Margret

 

[Caspers Human]

I have a whole stack of broadsheets of blank newsprint that are left over from when I moved to my new apartment. Probably a three inch stack.

I just bring a sheet of newsprint to the living room and leave it on the floor. Casper sits on it, wrestles with it, claws it up and generally plays "crinkly wrinkly" with it. It's Casper's "spot" in the living room.

When it gets all torn up and messy, I toss it in the bin and put out another clean sheet.
At which time, Casper comes over and says, "This paper doesn't have enough claw marks in it!"

Casper has at least another year's supply of fresh newsprint in storage.
He should never want for newspapers to sit on and claw to shreds!

 

[Kat0121]

I'll have to test that theory 

When I first saw that, I was thinking more along the lines of this

Or this

 

[bobkater]

That first circular eating image is awesome Kat0121, except that the cats are outside rather than inside the circle, thus contravening the theory.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
That first circular eating image is awesome Kat0121, except that the cats are outside rather than inside the circle, thus contravening the theory.

But their astral reflections are inside.... ~scampers off, giggling maniacally~