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Large boxes, shoe boxes, and even just items that look like boxes – cats, it seems, can't resist squeezing into cardboard spaces.

Scientists say they haven't fully understood why our feline friends have an affinity for boxes, but they have a number of theories.

The most popular is that cats are instinctively drawn to boxes because they offer security and shelter from predators while they stalk their prey.

Research by Utrecht University in the Netherlands has found cats prefer boxes because the enclosed space makes them feel secure, acting as a coping mechanism when they feel stressed

According to a report by Bryan Gardiner in Wired, veterinarian Claudia Vinke of Utrecht University in the Netherlands recently studied stress levels in shelter cats.

She discovered that cats who had boxes got used to their new surroundings faster than those who didn't because the boxes acted as a coping mechanism.

Boxes also offer safe places for cats to take a nap. Felines can sleep for 18 to 20 hours a day, so seeking out a hidden place would help their chances of survival in the wild.

'Cats like boxes because they are cryptic animals; they like to hide,' Stephen Zawistowski, science adviser for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told Business Insider.

Boxes also offer safe places for cats to take a nap. Cats can sleep for 18 to 20 hours a day, so seeking out a hidden place would help their chances of survival in the wild

Another theory is that cats love boxes because it helps them keep warm. Cats have a much higher tolerance to warmer temperatures than humans, and prefer being insulated from the cold

'And a box gives them a place of safety and security.' 

They could also be trying to escape unwanted attention. According toThe Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour, cats don't have good conflict resolution strategies and running and hiding is a coping mechanism for this. 

But it's not just boxes. Cats appear to try to fit into any enclosed space such as drawers, shopping bags and even kettles.

Wired claims that this may be because cats are trying to stay warm. Compared to humans, felines have a much better tolerance to higher temperatures.

Small places are ideal insulators, which may explain while a cat will try and curl up in a shoe box.

A similar behaviour takes place when a cat sees a circle drawn on the floor.

But it's not just boxes that they love. Cats appear to try to fit into any enclosed space such as drawers, shopping bags and even kettles

A similar behaviour takes place when a cat sees a circle drawn on the floor. Dozens of photos of cats 'stuck' in just such circles have sprung up on the internet

If you mark one out using chalk, string, masking tape or flex, a cat will enter the circle and refuse to leave.

This may sound implausible, but dozens of photos of cats 'stuck' in just such circles have sprung up on the internet.

Professor Daniel Mills, one of Britain's top experts in animal behaviour, says cats could be attracted to circles if they formed a barrier - for instance, if they were made of a curled-up draught excluder, tea towels or a row of socks.

'Low barriers can give a cat a sense of security because the cat can cower down,' says the Lincoln University academic.

'If you take a cat to the vet and it is put in an unfamiliar cage, it will often sit in a litter tray if there is one inside the cage.'

THE CARDBOARD HOME FOR CATS THAT OWNERS CAN TURN INTO CASTLES 

Creative cat owners can now build their pet a castle, a tower or even a robot to play in thanks to a new product.

'Blocks' is a package of shapes made from recycled cardboard which can be folded into any shape you want. he cardboard pieces - cubes, beams, tunnels, bridges and slides - slot together to create a sturdy and simulating playhouse for felines.

The product is the brainchild of Poopy Cat, a Dutch company which launched its biodegradable and disposable litter box just over a year ago. 

That led to the idea of creating a playhouse built from component parts like Lego bricks, which the company have developed for five months.

They say the product will not only keep cats mentally stimulated but will also fight obesity by getting their moving around it. 

After the product design stage, the company chose crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to finance its first batch and has raised almost double its target.

Those who pledged at least €30 (£23) will be the first to receive the product. 

It's the cat's whiskers! Build your own kitty playhouse