If you know cats, you can probably guess the results.

Yamato Transport--also known in Japan as Kuroneko Yamato, referring to the company’s logo–has been taking full advantage of their affinity for cats in recent years by conducting experiments, like “Can cats cut the cost of power?”

The experiment they conducted this winter was a bit more relevant to cat owners in Japan specifically: What is the ideal kotatsu heated table temperature for cats?

Kotatsu are traditional low tables with a heater attached to the underside and a blanket to trap the warmth. Pets love kotatsu just as much as humans during chilly Japanese winters, especially since many can fit their whole body under there.

Kuroneko Yamato uploaded the experiment footage to YouTube for your viewing pleasure (Japanese and cat-ese only).

To find the ideal kotatsu temperature, Kuroneko Yamato set up five kotatsu in a large, chilly room and set the kotatsu to different temperatures ranging from 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) to 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit), along with one kotatsu powered off to serve as a control group at around 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

They then set the timer for 30 minutes and waited to see which kotatsu would collect the most kitties. They repeated this process for a total of three times with the same group of cats, changing the kotatsu temperatures for each session to assure they didn’t happen to have an affinity for a specific table.

After each session, one of the testers counted up cats by politely lifting the kotatsu blanket and saying, “Excuse me,” taking care not to disturb the furry creatures.

By the third session, both cats and testers were so relaxed that many drifted off to sleep.

When the experiment was finally over, the testers compiled the results and concluded…

…”We don’t really know.”

Not only were the numbers all over the place, but it was also difficult to rule out factors like cats sticking to one table because they’re comfortable in one space, or because they made friends with the other cats, and so on.

The study does confirm, however, that cats will always do whatever they feel like, as the mood strikes them, and also that they really kotatsu; that’s probably why there are some made specifically for them.

Sources: Net Lab, YouTube/Yamato Group
Images: YouTube/Yamato Group
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