Why Do Cats Sit on Their Toys? 6 Possible Vet-Reviewed Reasons for This Behavior
Cats are strange creatures with adorable, quirky habits that make them endlessly fascinating to watch as they go about their enigmatic feline business around our home. Cat owners have probably seen their cat sitting on their toys for no apparent reason or sitting on random objects around the house sometimes, like boxes or plastic bags. No matter what the object is, your cat has probably sat on it in some way. Why? We’ll explore six potential reasons below. Ultimately though, it might just be your cat’s idiosyncratic tendencies that lead to this behavior!
The 6 Possible Reasons Why Cats Sit on Their Toys
1. To Hide It
Your cat might be possessive of their toy or even think of it as a prey animal, which would explain their innate drive to protect it. While cats in the wild do not display such behavior with their prey, your well fed and content cat who has no competitors in your house might feel differently. They have also learned that sitting on a toy elicits a response (and possibly some cuddles or a treat) from you, and might be doing so with the intention of soliciting these rewards from you.
2. To Protect It
Another reason your cat might be sitting on their toys is to protect their natural resources – which in this case happens to be the toy in question. This is more common in multiple-cat households, where one cat tends to assert dominance over another by guarding certain resources, including toys.
3. They’ve Learned That It Gets Them Attention
Sitting on odd objects like toys, boxes, or bags gets cats' attention because it’s adorable, and cats are very quick thinkers. They catch on quickly that you flip out when they sit on their toys or other stuff and will begin to do it more frequently in hopes that you give them more attention. It’s frightfully effective and cute, but it's typically harmless.
4. They’re Putting Their Scent on the Toy
Cats rely more heavily on scent than we do, and they’re driven to mark their territory. For cats, territory includes all objects within that territory, including toys, food, and so on. Cats have scent glands around their bodies that release subtle pheromones we can’t smell but that they and other cats can. However, there are very few such receptors on their belly, so to imagine this as a reason why they sit on toys is a stretch at times. Nonetheless, they might scent marks and then sit on their toys simply because they can.
5. It Has Your Scent on It
Cats are sentimental critters that grow to love certain smells, including yours. Items that you frequently handle or touch, like clothing, carry your scent, but even minor items like toys can hold your scent for a long time to enhance a cat’s olfactory abilities. Your scent becomes something to be revisited and valued by your cat, which you should take as a compliment.
6. Lying on Top of Things Keeps Your Cat Warm
Toys offer a little insulation against the cold, bare ground, so cats may prefer toys on a floor in the way they prefer to be nestled in a cozy bed. Cats who sit on toys for such reasons may simply choose to take the toy to a much more comfortable surface, such as a couch or a bed.
Conclusion
Cats love to sit on toys, bags, boxes, and nearly anything they can interact with. Without real prey to hunt, your house kitty is naturally inclined to sit on toys for a variety of reasons that you’ll never quite pin down. Still, it’s likely that some of the reasons above play a role!
See also:
Featured Image Credit: Heather Raithby Doyle, Shutterstock
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Codee Chessher is a freelance writer with extensive knowledge on a variety of subjects that include travel, DIY, pets, and more. He has a colorful past but the written word was always his first love. He believes there's nothing a well-worded sentence can't accomplish!
When not writing, Codee enjoys reading fantasy novels, tackling DIY projects around the house, and memorizing useless pop culture trivia. He has lived in many places around the US, and most recently resides in northern Mexico.
