The most common scenario with cats is that they suddenly disappear into the house. Even if you search everywhere in the house, it is possible to find your cat perched on a high shelf or closet. Cats love to be in high places, this is precise information, and this knowledge is quite common. But why do cats go to high places? The answer to the question cannot be given in a simple way such as “because they want it that way”. There are behavioral and evolutionary reasons why cats spend time in high places.
Cats live in three dimensions and are not just creatures with attachment to the world like dogs. So while there are specific places where you can find dogs when you’re looking for them, cats can be much more surprising, so you can find them at high altitudes. Cats love to climb from a behavioral point of view. The main reason for this is that it is a behavior that makes their lives easier in the wild.
A higher place in the wild serves as a secret refuge for hunting. Cats can better track their prey when they are at a height. For this reason, this is one of the reasons why cats often hang out high in their home lives due to their wild ancestral instincts. Another reason is the instinct of cats to protect themselves in the wild. Although cats are powerful predators in the wild, they have enemies. In order to hide from birds of prey and gain an advantage over other predators, cats have chosen to climb high places as a way to make the most of their physical advantages.
These behaviors, which are possessed by cats living in the wild, have become the behaviors of domestic cats with evolutionary results today. Even if there is no danger of predators in the house, the main reason why cats prefer high places is their wild ancestors. Cats prefer to be in high places because they feel safer. Especially in cases where more than one pet lives in the house, you can often see cats at high altitudes. When there is more than one cat in a house, the highest point of the house is the most valuable point. The owner of this spot also often becomes the most dominant cat in the house. Having spent time at the highest point of the house or the most valuable for cats, the cat easily learns about all life in the house and is aware of all the mobility. For this reason, it is quite normal for cats to prefer to be in high places during sleep times, which is one of the times when they feel most vulnerable.
