Why cats hate a closed door: scientists have reduced the reasons to the three C's

Scientists say that cats hate closed doors. And the reason for this comes down to three English words with the letter "C" - choice, control, change, which translate as choice, control and change.

According to experts, cats are naturally very freedom-loving creatures, so enclosed space is very stressful for them. They are also inquisitive and like to control everything, so they are interested in what goes on behind closed doors, writes LiveScience.

You can repeatedly observe a cat meowing, advancing its paws under a door, or even jumping on a doorknob to open an enclosed space.

The closed door strikes at all of what feline behaviorist Jane Ehrlich calls the "three terrible C's" that cats dislike: they hate the lack of choice, they hate the lack of control, and they hate change. While cats don't necessarily want to be involved in what goes on behind the door, they do want to know what's out there, says Expertka. That control helps them stay alive in the wild.

Sometimes cats can be aggressive in front of a locked door and may even attack it. "Cats like to control access to space and vital basic needs and territory. That doesn't make them mean. It doesn't make them anything other than a species that is both predator and prey, that needs to hunt to survive but also needs to feel safe and secure in their environment," said cat behavior consultant Ingrid Johnson.

Experts say both evolution and pet owners themselves have played a role in making furries hate a closed door so much.

"Cats just know that a place they used to have access to - where they feel safe or like to sleep or eat - is now suddenly taken away. So when we control the situation for our cats, we're creating stress for them," Johnson added.

To reduce the anxiety of their pets, cat owners should ensure that the door to rooms in the house is kept open, experts advise.

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