September 27, 2024, 4:58 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
As soon as you sit at your desk, your cat comes and sits on the very documents you were about to work on. But they also like to use books or files as a place to sleep. Why do cats like to lie on paper? Cat behavior expert and PETBOOK editor Saskia Schneider knows the answer.
If you are a cat owner, you can try the following experiment: Place a sheet of paper on the table. It usually doesn’t take long for your cat to sit down on it. If several papers are on the table, it usually prefers the one you are reading or working on. Sometimes, cats also roll around on piles of paper, shred sheets, or even eat parts of them. But where does this behavior come from? Do cats have a particular fascination for paper, or do they simply want to annoy their humans? There are actually various reasons for this.
Cats want attention
One of the main reasons cats appear out of nowhere and sit down on the very piece of paper or book we are holding and reading is attention. Many cats love to be the center of attention and to receive attention from their humans.
If we are busy, they simply push themselves between us and what we are paying more attention to to make themselves noticed. This is usually successful, as many cat owners start stroking their pet, talking to it, or sitting it on their lap. So, the behavior of sitting on paper or a book has paid off from the cat’s point of view, and it will show it more often.
Cats like the smell
While the sense of sight plays the most significant role in our everyday lives, the sense of smell matters most for cats. Cats love to leave their scent in strategically important places in their territory, so they like to lie on the sofa, chairs, or beds.
Our cats especially want to lie where we leave our scent. This creates a kind of group odor that signals to the animals: We belong together – this is our territory. Even if we don’t notice this smell, it also lingers on paper that we hold in our hands a lot, which could be one of the reasons why cats like to lie on it.
Cats want company
Many cats want to be everywhere – even at the desk. They prefer to lie on documents to be as close as possible to their humans and keep an eye on everything.
Cats are curious
Cats are good observers and see that we pay a lot of attention to the paper on the desk. This needs to be inspected more closely! Young kittens, in particular, then start to play with the paper and realize that you can have a lot of fun with paper. It crackles and is easy to tear with the claws.
Cats love the crackling of paper
Cats quickly develop a preference for particular textures. My cat, Sweety, loves not only the yoga mat but also all kinds of paper. Whether it’s a daily newspaper, magazine, or mail-order catalog – as soon as she puts it down, she’s occupied by it. She loves to get her paws between the individual sheets and work the paper with her claws. That’s why you should keep a close eye on your cat and make sure that it’s not going after yesterday’s newspaper or essential documents.
Cats love squares
Cats love confined spaces such as boxes. The confinement gives the animals a sense of security. However, it seems enough for some cats if this space is only hinted at. There are many videos on social media where cat owners mark squares on the floor with adhesive tape, and cats sit in them. A sheet of paper has a similar effect.
Paper insulates
Cats love to lie warm. The insulating properties of paper are just what they need. Stacks of documents or books are excellent insulators. It is simply warmer to lie on them than on the bare tabletop. Incidentally, this is also one of the main reasons cats lie on laptop keyboards, as most devices radiate a pleasant warmth.
What should I do if my cat is sitting on paper?
If you feel disturbed by your cat constantly lying on paper or important documents, you have two options: Either lock out the animal entirely or find a compromise, for example, by putting an extra pile of old newspapers or paper on the table for the cat to lie on. Most cats quickly accept this alternative.
If you lock the cat out – because you want to go about your work in peace, for example – you have to expect that the animal will not understand at first. Loud meowing and scratching at the door must then be accepted and consistently ignored – even if it is hard and can take days or weeks for the cat to accept the new situation.
A significant disadvantage here is that this time takes away from the time you spend with your pet, which is vital for cats, even if we might think the cat is just lying next to us and sleeping.
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Sources:
- catster.com, “Why Do Cats Like to Sit on Paper? 10 Interesting Reasons” (accessed on 04.11.2024)
- catbehaviorassociates.com, “Why Your Cat Always Sits on the Paper You’re Reading “(accessed on 04.11.2024)