Nevada Humane Society: Boxes as preferred toy of cats; kitty rescued from Carson City tree up for adoption

The doorbell rings. Dogs bark. Cats scramble to hide. Or maybe they run to greet your visitor. Either way, something big is happening. You answer the door to find the Fed Ex guy with a giant cardboard box. It’s like Christmas, Halloween and a birthday all rolled into one — for the cats.

My husband and I get our pet food delivered each month by Chewy.com. No matter what’s in the box, the cats always are the most excited for the box. Just the box. Maybe the paper stuffing too, but really, just the box. And if you have cats, you know that no matter what we buy them, not matter how fabulous the toy, they will always prefer just the box.

Cats and boxes go together like ribbons and bows. There’s just some sort of attraction. Feline experts have discussed a variety of reasons why cats prefer boxes and it actually makes sense when you think about it.

Reason one — for play. Cats can peer out of a box, climb into it, bat it around, or hide under it. They can scratch it, chew on it or throw their toys into it. No matter what they do with it, a box is exciting for just about any cat.

Reason two — for security. Shy cats, or maybe those who simply need some quiet time, can find privacy and a good hiding spot in a box. Boxes can make them feel secure and safe. That’s also true in animal shelters. At Nevada Humane Society, we have these boxes called Hide, Perch and Go habitats. The bottom has a little cubby hole for them to hide, the top has an area to perch, and when they are adopted, they fold up into a temporary cat carrier so that you can safely transport them home. Cats genuinely love them and it’s a wonderful tool for them in the busy, shelter environment.

Another reason is the principle we’ve all seen on the internet: “If it fits, I sits.” I’m not kidding. If you haven’t before, Google it. You’ll see more photos of cats cramming themselves into boxes of all sizes. While there is no expert study on why this happens, cats are known for their oddball places to relax or curl up. Mine at home are obsessed with my husband’s shoes, the sink, and any size box. Even if they only can fit in one leg, they will find a way to make their entire body fit, no matter how tight the space.

Finally, the latest box trend, one I am newly obsessed with. If you follow cats on Instagram you know the the hashtag #fridaynightboxpawty is a hit. From Amazon boxes to Chewy boxes to everything in between, my cats join this party every Friday night. We take a picture with their preferred box of the week, post it on their Instagram, tag their furriends (fur friends, get it?) and have a good laugh. Yes, I realize your cat needs to have his own Instagram account for this, but I promise it’s worth it.

There are so many ways to build relationships and create a bond between you and your pet. The #boxpawty is only one of them. And if you’ve adopted a pet from Nevada Humane Society, you know this. If you haven’t, well, you really need to get on that bandwagon, visit our shelter (one in Reno and one in Carson City!) and fall in love with someone because we promise it’s worth it.

By the way, you all know I’m a cat lady, but my husband and I do have dogs too. Three, to be exact. They too have their quirks, but other than food, they don’t have a “specific thing” like our cats do. So feel free to share your dog stories because I know they deserve it too. And I’m curious as to what silly dog topic I can come up with for this column.

Until next time, send me your cat box photos or other fun ideas to kwade@nevadahumanesociety.org. I love to share stories of adopted pets and can’t wait to read them!

Featured Pet: Oakley is a six month old, charming, wiggly little bundle of cat. She’s recently famous, as she climbed a tree so tall in Carson City we had to call Healthy Trees to help get her out. She’s named Oakley after the Oak tree she was found in, and she is now seeking an indoor home with lots of vertical space — so she can climb! Oakley is at our Carson City shelter, open daily from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for adoptions. Visit us today!

— Kimberly Wade is the Communications Director for Nevada Humane Society. She has been with the organization for 7 years but her passion for animals began as a child. Kimberly lives with her husband, 3 cats (one pictured) and 3 dogs.

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UPDATE: Due to increased fire weather conditions, NV Energy has upgraded a Public Safety Outage Management (PSOM) Watch to Warning status in Genoa, southwestern Carson City and Virginia City Highlands in northern Nevada for today, Nov. 13 and into tomorrow morning.
A PSOM warning means a de-energization is likely to prevent the possibility of sparking a wildfire.
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A storm expected to move into the region Wednesday has prompted NV Energy to issue a Public Safety Outage Management (PSOM) warning for southwest Carson City to Genoa and the Virginia City Highlands.

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With the passing of Chef Charlie Abowd, Saturday, the food drive he and Steve Funk, KNVC 95.1 FM Radio's general manager, kicked off Nov. 9, has been renamed the KNVC and Chef Charlie Abowd Memorial Turkey Drop Food Drive. The event will take place annually.

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UPDATE: The gas leak issue has been resolved.
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Carson City Fire Department and sheriff's deputies responded Tuesday morning to a gas leak in the area of North Carson Street and William Street.

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UPDATE: Power has been restored in Carson City and in the area of the Callahan Fire.
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UPDATE: NV Energy has de-activated approximately 5,500 electricity customers in Washoe County in the area of the fire at Callahan Ranch.
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NV Energy reports 2,636 customers without power Monday morning in Carson City. The outage was reported at 9:46 a.m. At this time there is not an estimated time of restoration. The cause is under investigation.

UPDATE 5PM: Fire crews will be mopping up the Callahan Fire overnight and into tomorrow. One primary residential structure was lost along with multiple outbuildings. The cause is under investigation at this time. Some fire evacuations remain in place at Callahan Rd and Fawn Lane as crews mop up hot spots. See Perimetermap.com here for evacuation updates.
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UPDATE 2:20PM: Rain supporting firefighting efforts on the Callahan Fire, according to Truckee Meadows Fire in a social media post.
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UPDATE 12:55PM: The fire is estimated at approximately 100 acres; approximately 3,000 people have been impacted by evacuations. Rain is falling on the fire scene. Additional Strike Teams totaling 10-15 engines have begun arriving to assist on the fire, according to Eastern Sierra Fire and Ice, which tracks fires in the region.
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