Why Do Cats Love Hanging Out In Sinks?

They're not just there to watch you 👀

cat hanging out in sink

Ever search your house for your *seemingly* missing cat just to find her curled up in an unexpected place?

You’re not alone.

And one of the places that cats tend to cuddle up to the most? SINKS.

Random — but what cat doesn’t do the most random things?

While some of those quirky cat behaviors — and there are tons — don’t have in-depth explanations aside from “it’s a cat thing,” this one sort of does.

“While cats are often thought of as amazing hunters, they are small enough that they can be prey to larger animals — as such, they are unique in that they are both a predator and prey,” Dr. Andrea Y. Tu, medical director of Behavior Vets NYC in New York City, told The Dodo.

Because of this, Dr. Tu explained, many cats prefer to be in small, cozy high places with sturdy footing. “The height allows them a good visual vantage point to watch for any small animals they can hunt, but also allows them to keep an eye out for potential larger animals that may attack them while offering some degree of hiding, and the sturdy footing allows them to leap out (either to attack or escape, as the situation may indicate),” Dr. Tu said.

Whew. That feels like a lot.

What it basically means is that your sink — or really any cozy, high spot — is a great place for your cat to cuddle up both to survey the area for either animals to hunt (sometimes you), or animals to hide from (also sometimes you).

If you’re a little tired of sharing your personal sink with your cat, they even make cat pods that look just like sinks — so everybody’s happy!

Like this one from Amazon for $74.99

“Furthermore,” Dr. Tu continued, “cats naturally have a higher body temperature than humans, and as such they seek warm spaces, and the concave shape and material of sinks helps conserve any body heat that the cat loses and helps her stay warm.”

So the next time someone asks you why your cat is sleeping in the sink, you’ve finally got an answer aside from, “It’s just [Insert your cat’s name] being [Insert your cat’s name]!” *shrug*

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