Browse ›
A fluffy orange cat crouches on a gray carpet beside a cardboard box torn into jagged pieces. 24 / 32

A Ginger Cat Sits Quietly Beside What Used to Be a Box

AI imageorange catcardboard boxhallway

A cardboard box used to stand in this corner, and now it is a scatter of jagged brown pieces across the carpet. A fluffy orange cat crouches beside the wreckage, ears pulled back and eyes turned slightly away, with a sheepish, tucked-in posture that says he knows what happened.

The hallway behind him is plain and bright, with white baseboards, a pair of slippers by the wall, and a patch of sunlight on the paint. The scraps of cardboard are scattered in such neat strips that the whole job looks very well planned.

Cats and cardboard go together like bread and butter. A box offers a snug hiding place, a chewing surface, and a scratching post all in one. Hiding in enclosed spaces also helps cats feel safe, which is why a box on the floor can quickly become a favorite spot. If you want to keep boxes from becoming confetti, offer one or two on purpose, with a hole cut in the side, and replace them when they get worn. Pick up small scraps, since a cat that eats cardboard can have stomach upsets, and talk to your vet if it becomes a habit.

The orange cat is not quite ready to meet your eyes. He is probably already dreaming about the next box that will arrive, and the one after that.

More from this collection

All 32 →
A pink hairless Sphynx cat sits on crumpled brown wrapping paper beside a loose roll in a living room, ears back.A Sphynx Has Built Herself a Nest of Wrapping PaperA red tabby Exotic Shorthair cat with peanut butter smeared on its nose sits beside an open jar on a messy counter.The Peanut Butter Jar Is Open and the Exotic Shorthair Knows It
A pink hairless Sphynx cat sits in profile looking off to the side beside a toppled flowerpot and scattered soil on a floor.A Sphynx Stares Into the Distance Beside a Toppled PlantA gray-blue Siamese cat sits on a kitchen counter next to a crusty loaf of bread with a hole torn in it.A Blue Point Siamese Gives the Fresh Loaf a Taste TestA snow Bengal cat with blue eyes crouches beside a white tissue box torn open with tissues spilling out onto a carpet.A Snow Bengal Looks Back From a Ripped-Open Tissue BoxA blue-grey Russian Blue cat looks up with yellow-green eyes while wrapped in a frayed blue patterned curtain.A Russian Blue Has Wrapped Himself in the Window Curtain