Cat window boxes, ubiquitous in feline-friendly homes, are fundamentally flawed. Designed for human convenience and vision-centric views, they expose cats to overwhelming risk with no gradations of exposure. This design ignores a cat's acute hearing and its need for risk compensation—a drive for a specific, slowly-changing optimal level of stimulation and safety.

Cats actively navigate a 'landscape of fear,' adjusting their position to balance visibility and sound exposure, retreating from threats and advancing when safety increases. Current boxes offer only all-or-nothing exposure, lacking the retreats, sound baffling, or partial sight options cats naturally seek. By prioritizing sensory modalities beyond sight and incorporating cat-itecture principles like sound focus and retreats, window boxes could become truly feline-friendly spaces.