If you have ever had a cat，or have watched one of the many funny cat videos online，you'll know that cats have a mind of their own．A lot of the things they do are hard to understand---they like to climb up tall furniture，fit themselves in small spaces and attack small objects for no reason at all．

Now scientists have managed to figure out what exactly is going on in the brains of our little friends．According to Tony Buffington，a professor at Ohio State University in the US，cats'strange behavior largely comes from their way of life back in the wild．"Cats today still have many of the same instincts（本能）that allowed them to live in the wild for millions of years．"he said in a TED Talk．"To them，our homes are their jungles．"

In the wild，cats are hunters．Their bodies and great balancing abilities allow them to climb to high spots to better look at the environment．Even though they don't have to hunt anymore in human houses，they still keep the old habit of viewing the living room from，for example，the top of the refrigerator．

Cats'hunting instinct is also what makes them attack small things like keys and USB drives．In the wild，they hunt whatever they can get，and most of the animals they kill are small．

However，cats can also be prey． This explains why they like to stay in small spaces like drawers or washing machines---they are hiding，or they think they are hiding，from more dangerous animals．This is also why cats prefer a clean box：a smelly one could easily show enemies where they are．

Knowing how cats'minds work is not only useful for better understanding them．It may also help cats'owners to better meet cats'needs．For example，owners could try to make climbing easier for cats by moving their furniture around．They could also use"food puzzles"to make eating feel more like hunting instead of just giving food to the cats．

24．According to Tony Buffington，___．

A．cats'strange behavior is