Why Do Cats Like Heights?

Have you ever entered your kitchen to find your cat perched atop the refrigerator or stalking the space between the ceiling and the top of the cabinets?  Does it drive you nuts that they’re constantly leaping onto your high dresser and then up to the neighboring wardrobe, or worse, leaving tiny footprints and swirls of hair on your kitchen counter or dining room table?  Do they climb the screen door and the drapes and simply hang around?

Whether you’re living with a cat for the first time or you’re a long-time lover of feline friends, you’ve probably noticed that cats like to live on the edge – more specifically, the edges of the tallest furniture and appliances in your home.  What you might not know is why cats are so keen to get a birds-eye view.  Why do cats like heights so much and should you indulge their inclination to make a home in your overhead spaces?

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Why Do Cats Like Heights?

There are a couple of reasons why cats prefer to be up high, rather than on the ground, and both have to do with survival in nature.  First and foremost, height gives cats a tactical advantage for hunting.

From a higher vantage point, they can spot activity below, including scurrying rodents that might make a good snack, just for example.  In other words, it’s the hunting instinct in cats that causes them to seek out concealed areas from which to leap down, unseen, and nab prey below.  The stereotype of the cat up a tree is definitely based in fact.

In addition, cats seek out spots high up to steer clear of predators that might want to make a meal of them, such as wild dogs (coyotes, wolves, etc.), large birds of prey (hawks, owls, eagles, etc.), and even other cats.  From on high, cats can see what’s coming and they have the best chance to hide from it.  If you have multiple cats in the home, you’re sure to notice cats want the highest perch and will fight for it, and for dominance.  Top cat wins, in a sense.

How Can You Keep Your Cat Safe?

Kitty is going to climb, despite smelly sprays, air cannisters, and other efforts to keep them off the refrigerator, cabinets, and other high spaces in your home.  The good news is, you can find ways to give cats safe, vertical space to explore.

Tall climbing posts and cat trees are a good start, and you might want to place perches near closed windows so cats can get a view of the activity outdoors.  Consider that windows with birds flying by are like kitty TV.

You can also create elaborate mazes of shelf-like cat perches spanning the walls in your home, but you have to make sure they’re rated to accommodate the size and weight of your cat and they’re properly anchored to walls.  Why do cats like heights?  There are several reasons, but what you need to understand is they’re going to climb, and you have some power to ensure they do so in a safe manner.

Central Texas Animal Hospital is a Cat Friendly Practice® and provides a variety of veterinary services for cats in the Pflugerville/Austin-Round Rock area.

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About the Author: John Whisman