Cats come in all shapes, paws, and sizes. And a brief scroll through 'The Cat Trap Is Working' subreddit (and the myriad of ways owners successfully "catch" their companions) will show you that they also possess a magical ability to turn into liquid. This online group has been an excellent outlet for cat lovers to poke fun at their fur babies’ bizarre temptation to squeeze and climb into the weirdest places. Not to mention, we get to see their amazing trap-setting skills and see that even these especially clever goofballs can fall for the bait.

But what lies behind this mysterious urge to lie down, sit on, or find shelter in the most peculiar places? We reached out to Sally Chamberlain, a UK-based clinical animal behaviorist and author of Power Of The Purr.

Feeling extremely passionate about her work, she founded Karma Paws Pet Care where she provides consultations, cat training, and preventive advice, so she was more than happy to share her thoughts on the matter.

"Cats are a predator and prey species, which means they hunt but their wild counterparts and ancestors were hunted by larger animals in the wild," Chamberlain told Bored Panda. "They may seek out high places to rest or places that look uncomfortable to humans because they are physically very flexible and like to have a warm, safe vantage point."

According to the expert, some of our feline pals prefer climbing onto high places, while others like to stay down low. “They can curl up anywhere and get into some very tight spaces. It’s surprising how easy it is for a cat to go 'missing', even when they are indoors-only," Chamberlain added.

Among the many quirky cat behaviors out there, one that consistently bamboozles their owners most is the cardboard box phenomenon. Our furry companions are no strangers to these fragile square crates, and animal behaviorist Chamberlain explained they find them appealing for a few different reasons.

"Boxes are often irresistible to cats because they are made of warm and cozy cardboard and offer them a hiding place that helps them to feel secure," she told us. "As mentioned above, cats have an instinct to hide because they are also a prey species and as far as a cat is concerned, a box provides them with protection."

Another feature that makes felines naturally gravitate towards the cardboard palace is that they seek out places that will make a nice, safe and clean resting place. "You may find that when you purchase your cat a nice treat, such as a lovely new cat tree, they might prefer to spend time in the box it arrived in!"

But this behavior pattern leads to another feline oddity that begs for some quality decoding — it's when they try to hide in the little jungle we humans call home but end up being spotted in plain sight. For example, when cat owners put a belt, a towel, or basically anything that forms a circle or another shape on the floor, cats seem to gravitate toward it.

It turns out, the "If I Fits, I Sits" scenario isn’t limited to 3D boxes. "There have been scientific experiments carried out in relation to this phenomenon such as this one in which cats sat inside a shape that gave the illusion of being a square," Chamberlain told us.

In the study, the researchers focused on the so-called Kanizsa illusion — arranging four "Pac-Man" shapes to suggest the contours of a square. They asked volunteers to tape the shapes onto the floor and see if they’ll sit in them for more than 3 seconds within 5 minutes after entering the room. The results revealed that felines chose the illusory squares nearly as much as the real ones.

Chamberlain added, "I have also tried similar tests with some of the cats I know in which I place a piece of paper on the floor and nearly every time, they sit on the paper straight away!"

"Cats are naturally curious creatures and this could be done with wanting to find out what the shape on the floor feels like or their instinct to seek out warm places, as in the paper placed on the floor, which soon warms up once a cat has sat on it," she continued.

"They may also like to sit or lie down inside a shape because it gives them the feeling that they are within a barrier that gives them a sense of protection, even if it is simply some tape or a belt that has been placed on the floor."

It’s easy to feel amused by the perplexities of cat logic and giggle away at their funny antics whenever a goofy picture graces our feeds. While we devour their weird shenanigans because they seem so different from us as species, this may create a false image of our furry friends.

According to Chamberlain, cats seem to do random things without giving them any thought, but it’s much more complex than that. "Cats have the innate desire to survive and anything that may offer a greater chance of this is likely to be explored by a cat," she explained. "Their survival instinct may lead them to be opportunistic and if they see something that might offer warmth, comfort or food, they will probably investigate it and if it smells and looks safe, they will try to use it to their advantage."

"The same can be said for high places that enable them to see their territory from a higher vantage point or low hiding places to keep out of the way of other pets or people in the house if they want to be left alone for a while and become 'invisible.'"

If you want to better understand and decipher the quirky behaviors of your feline pal, Chamberlain advised seeing the above-mentioned explanations as a part of the enrichment offered to the cat. "That is, anything that will enrich their living environment and make them feel safe, secure and satisfied."

To make sure your critter feels happy and healthy, offer lots of high and low resting places, different sleeping areas and cardboard boxes to hide in. This "will give a cat plenty of choice as to how they spend their time and should increase their feelings of security and safety."

However, the animal behaviorist warned that hiding for long periods of time or being unsociable may be out of character for some cats. Then, "it may be worth a veterinary check-up because cats may also hide when they are feeling unwell or in pain. This also relates to them being a predator and prey animal."

"If they are feeling vulnerable in this way, hiding will make them feel safer. Any changes in behavior such as this could be a sign that something is medically wrong but sleeping in a warm, cozy box or hooded bed is usually a normal feline behavior, especially when it’s cold outside," Chamberlain concluded.