Cats just seem to love sitting in circles (Picture: YouTube)

‘In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.’

Anyone who has spent any length of time with a cat would find it hard to disagree with Terry Pratchett’s assessment.

They may be cute, they may sit on your lap or rub against your leg with apparent affection but make no mistake: cats do precisely what they want.

Even this cat doesn’t seem to know why he’s in a circle (Picture: YouTube)

It is for this reason that any attempt to make a cat sit, roll over or play dead (as a dog will do with boundless enthusiasm) are doomed to fail.


Until now, apparently.

It seems cat owners have found a way of getting their felines to do their bidding: creating a circle on the floor.

One theory is that the inside of the circle represents new territory for the cat to make their own (Picture: YouTube)

‘That wouldn’t work with my cat,’ we hear you say – but read on.



Cat owners have found that a circle made of string or masking tape (or even bananas in one example) will make a cat feel compelled to sit inside and refuse to leave – and the proof is in the hundreds of pictures taken by cat owners of just that.

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But why?

The short answer is that scientists don’t really know – and won’t know until a controlled trial can be performed.

Scientists say they can’t explain the phenomenon until they carry out controlled tests (Picture: YouTube)

Cat owners have their own theories, however.

One is that the circle acts like a boundary that gives the cat a sense of security, but this was quickly dismissed by experts who said that would not explain the lure of a two-dimensional line.

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Others said it is a territorial thing, but that theory, too, was shot down – as cats already believe they own their home in its entirety.

Further theories suggested the smell of the circle might interest the cat, while cat behaviour counsellor Vicky Halls said a cat’s curiosity is to blame.

Cat behaviour counsellor Vicky Halls says the cat’s obsession with the circle is simple curiosity (Picture: YouTube)

Send us your cat in circle photographs @MetroUK with the hashtag #metrocats and we’ll round-up the best later this week