Hey there- climbing and cat enthusiasts! Y'all are probably wondering how cats got the brilliant idea to climb up trees and set up camp. Cats are hunters, but they are also hunted by larger animals like stray dogs, coyotes, so they've got to find good spots to protect themselves from any potential incoming danger. Trees and high places offer safety! Cats prefer to hang out or sleep in high places they feel safer and more relaxed there. That explains why our cats like to hang out on top of the cupboards, bookshelves, and anything else that's at least 5 feet tall (we just barely make the cut).
Trees and walls offer a good place to scan the neighborhood — either to see if there are any enemies nearby or to watch for prey. Let's not forget about where our cats came from and how that influences their penchant for climbing! Climbing is in the feline ancestry. Their long-lost ancestors, Proailurus lemanensis, from which all the cat family descends, climbed trees like professionals. Some of today's biggest cats (lions and tigers) rarely climb trees as adults, perhaps because they've got a little more junk in the trunk than they used to in their climbing hay days.
