Cat on the window sill

For the longest time, I have been trying to take a decent photo of Pepper’s bushy tail. My idea was to post a photo of her tail and make readers guess what it is — a feather duster, a portion of a stole or some other thing. But because Pepper keeps moving her tail, most of the photos I’ve taken are either blurred, badly angled or both. Until a few days ago when she was sitting on the window sill swishing her tail.

Days after I took the photos, I sat in front of my computer staring and wondering. Why the heck do cats like to sit on the window? In children’s books, on paintings, on greeting cards, in photography, that’s how cats are often portrayed — as semi-permanent window fixtures. And I can’t say that it’s just some form of artistic expression because cats do love to sit on the window sill. Pepper does. At night when the windows are closed, I often find her by the huge glass window by the stairs. It’s a picture window (does not open) but she nevertheless stays there for long periods of time gazing outside.

The reason can’t be similar to my grandmother’s case who, in her old age, passed the days sitting on a chair by the window, looking out on the street as though watching the world go by. I mean, old people do that, sometimes looking but not really seeing because what they’re really doing is reminiscing while they appear to be watching. It just seems unbelievable that cats, even not so very old cats (Pepper is not even two years old), sit on window sills for the same reason. So I did a little digging.

Some cat owners who have observed the same behavior with their cats say it has to do with cats being hunters by nature. In Answerbag, three cat owners say cats sit on the window for hours waiting for the occasional bird they can pounce upon. Well… Pepper doesn’t go after birds. Maya birds are a-plenty around here and, especially in the morning, they are all over the garden. Pepper doesn’t even give them a second glance.

In Yahoo! Answers, someone said, “They are probably wondering what to do next when they get let out.” But Pepper is not constrained to the house. She (and all our other cats) are free to come and go as they please (but they don’t — they never venture any farther than the garden and a few feet outside the front door). So planning what to do next when let out doesn’t explain why Pepper sits on the window hour after hour, day after day.

In the same thread, someone suggested that perhaps cats survey the territory to make sure there are no intruders. Most agree that it’s because cats are naturally curious. Curiosity. I think that’s the best explanation although it might seem to be the most vague. Let me explain that.

Back in the old house, Pepper didn’t sit so much on the window. The house was surrounded by a six-foot fence and there was really nothing much to see beyond the (small) garden. But Pepper did venture beyond the fence many, many times. In fact, there was one time when she didn’t return for over 24 hours and Speedy was already in tears. It’s a habit she broke after we moved and I think it has to do with the fact that high fences aren’t allowed in this neighborhood.

So, here’s my theory. If a house cat can view the world from the safety of her own territory, like she does while sitting on the window sill, she won’t bother venturing outside where she might not be safe. But if a cat feels locked in (I suppose high fences give them that feeling) leaving her curiosity unsatisfied, then she will explore beyond the fence.

In the archive

• Cats and social taboos
• Breastfeeding is still best for babies
• Maneki Neko, the beckoning cat
• And then there were none
• The pet situation is fast turning into a nightmare
• In the tradition of ‘Brokeback Mountain’
• Can you get salmonella infection through the skin?
• Lesson learned from observing the pet
• A birthday gift for a 16-year-old girl
• Choosing a free video hosting service