The hiding instinct

Throughout this book you will run into this fact over and over: cats are only partially domestic, and some of their wild instincts will always remain. You see this in their choice of sleeping places: make a box, bag, open drawer, closet, even a suitcase available, and they will probably sleep in it.

Why so, especially if you’ve seen them week after week sleeping openly on the floor or the bed with no fear of attack? The old instinct is still there: find a safe and enclosed place to sleep. A variation on this is an elevated spot, such as a windowsill or the branch of a tree—high up and, above all, safe.