50 Times Cat Owners “Set A Trap” To Catch Them And It Was Successful

‘The Cat Trap Is Working’ subreddit has been an excellent outlet for feline lovers to share jokes and pictures of their furry friends ever since it was created in 2015. Over 164K members have a place to show off their trap-setting skills and prove that even these clever and smart critters can fall for bait. This online community highlights one particular aspect of weird feline behavior, cats crawling into or curling up in odd places. Although the moderators wrote “cats in boxes” in the community description, you’ll notice in this compilation that felines find shelter in as many small spaces as they can find.

We contacted the group’s moderators and one of them, the creator of the page, was kind enough to have a little chat with us. She revealed that ‘The Cat Trap Is Working’ is one of the very first Reddit communities she started.

“It was made more or less because every once in a while I was seeing posts in /r/Aww that followed this theme, but I wasn’t aware of any community that was just specifically for this type of cat behavior. I created it so there could be a spot for folks to post their cat to,” the moderator told CNN News.

Fortunately, the members of this online group are very active. “I have created right around 200 cat-related subreddits and this one remains one of the top ones for subscribed users to post ratio,” she said.

However, it turns out that describing what a cat trap actually is a bit complicated. “When the community was first created, I really didn’t know what to set as a hard rule as what defines a cat trap because cats simply gravitate to things that are roughly their size.”

“My initial intention was to just allow cats in boxes, but it is just so much more complex than that,” the mod continued. “I have a bath towel on my bed for my cat Squishy and she is like a magnet to that when it is time for bed.” She added that the one thing she learned from looking after this subreddit is that “if you put a belt on the floor or put tape on the floor, they will even gravitate to that.”

When asked why our beloved furballs keep falling for these entertaining traps, the moderator revealed she has pondered this for years. “The one comment I see most often on Reddit is that they get comfort and security from tight spaces,” she said and added that this behavior is amusing and never gets old.

The creator of this subreddit also had a few pieces of advice to share with you, dear readers. “If you want your kitty to sleep in a specific spot on your bed, use a folded towel. My cat used to sleep at my feet which I was not comfortable with since I could kick her in my sleep. Putting the towel near my pillow solved this issue, plus she is now within reach of pets and scratches. Win-win for both of us,” she told us.

This seemingly strange cat behavior can leave many pet parents quite baffled. Even though we know their quirks are based on their instincts, people can have difficulties figuring out what their pets are trying to tell them. After all, cats are famous for having some of the most perplexing behaviors in the world that make pet parents ask one question over and over again: “Why is my cat so weird?”

Dr. Marci L. Koski, a certified feline behavior and training consultant, explained that there are several reasons for this overwhelming urge to hide. Essentially, it demonstrates how they evolved as both wild predators and prey. They are naturally stealthy because they need to get fairly close to their victim and also glide through their environment unnoticed.

“They are instinctually driven to hide and conceal themselves when they are sneaking up on a prospective prey item, and avoiding being prey for other predators (i.e., any carnivore that is larger than they are),” she wrote.

Hiding in their little jungle we humans call home also offers a place of refuge from the noisy family, annoying dogs, and other stress-inducing factors. Hiding under beds, in the back of closets, and in laundry baskets provides a safe spot and gives them comfort.

Moreover, they may try to tell their owners that they could be ill or not feeling well. “If your cat all of a sudden decides to start hiding for long periods of time or changes her hiding behavior, you will want to make a trip to the veterinarian to make sure everything is okay,” Koski said and added it pays to be observant and notice when and where your furball is most likely to hide. That way, you can determine how she’s feeling and whether or not it is something to be concerned about.

When it comes to hideout places, few things catch our cats’ attention in the same way as the plain old cardboard box. It may not look so appealing to us, but kitties keep climbing into these lairs every chance they get. Other than the fact that they provide them with a sense of security and help reduce anxiety, they also find them physically comforting. “Boxes can greatly reduce a cat’s stress and help cats regulate their body temperatures,” Daniel Rotman, CEO of kitty litter company PrettyLitter told Reader’s Digest. The optimal ambient temperature for cats is upwards of 85 degrees Fahrenheit, so small and enclosed spaces can provide insulation that helps them retain body heat.

Even when we begin to grasp the intentions of our beloved cats’ movements, their quirky behaviors do not lose their charm. However, it turns out that by describing their activities as amusing, we might be missing out on what’s lying beneath the surface. Dr. Jo Lewis, an award-winning British feline expert vet and author of What’s My Cat Thinking? told CNN News in a previous interview that cats “are usually trying to tell us something far more significant than ‘hey, I’m so cute!'”

“We have to be careful we don’t misinterpret what are actually important clues about their health and wellbeing,” she continued. “More often than not, behaviors that we label as ‘cute’ … are a clue to how they’re feeling in that moment. They might be hungry, but they may also have learned to enjoy the attention or food that you lavish on them when they do that particular ‘cute’ thing and simply want more of the same. But they might equally be signaling that you could be doing a lot more to better meet their needs.”

We may label the cheeky or naughty cat behaviors as cute when in reality they’re driven by a cat’s basic survival instincts, an illness, or side effects from medication, Dr. Lewis added. For example, when your beloved feline surfs your kitchen countertops for scraps, “she might have an artificially increased appetite from illnesses like an overactive thyroid, diabetes, or medications like steroids.”

Sometimes, their behavior is not even about the food at all: “They might simply need some attention, the chance to interact with you more and this is the first opportunity that day when you’ve been home and sat in one spot.” So if you assume they’re just acting cute, “you could be missing out on diagnosing and treating an illness, or be overlooking an opportunity to understand them better.”