Kotatsu: A way to stay warm in winter

Kotatsu (炬燵 or コタツ), low table frames first covered by a quilted futon or blanket then a table top with an electric heating element under it, are a fixture in living rooms in many Japanese homes during winter months, especially in traditional homes which lack central heating. People will usually sit with their legs stretched out beneath the covers as they watch TV, study, eat mandarin oranges, read or do whatever they usually do in the living room.

If you've never seen one before, here's an underside view revealing how it's made. (You can see the table top protruding from the blanket at the top left corner):

A cozy hideout for cats

As you can imagine, cats just love sources of warmth in winter time, sometimes even going as far as being romantically attached to heaters. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the comforting warmth and cozy space beneath a kotatsu would be a cat's favorite hideout during cold months.

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This certainly seems to have been the case in the home of Twitter user @heinrich0710, whose black cat was caught completely off guard when its owner decided to do a bit of Spring cleaning.

"Cat looking stunned in the former kotatsu"

Since kotatsu also serve as normal tables during non-winter months, it's common practice to remove the blanket when the weather becomes warmer, which usually happens around this time of year. However, when its owner removed the blanket, this cat was left sitting under a suddenly open space, staring with its eyes wide open in amazement...

When it finally recovered from the initial shock, it began circling the table in disbelief. You can almost imagine it thinking: "What happened to my cozy hideout?"

Sorry, kitty, but you'll have to wait until next winter to see your beloved kotatsu again...