If your cat is anything like my cat, Bess, you will find that one of the things it loves to do is hide.  Whether that is under the bed, under furniture, in boxes, or even on top of the microwave, between the microwave and its housing (yes, really!! It took me a long time to find her, let me tell you!!!), you can find your cat in some really odd places.

I have lost count of the number of hours I have spent searching for Bess, which can be concerning at times, especially if I was going on holiday or had to take her to the vet.

In order to discover what a cat’s behaviour is usually like, it is important that you watch your cat in order to find out what causes it to want to hide away so that you are able to pick up on changes to that behaviour if necessary.  Taking this action may also help you to determine what causes your cat to act in the way it does, such as do loud noises cause your cat to want to run and hide or do visitors cause it to hide under the bed?

Cats may like to hide because they feel unwell – if this is the case, they should be checked over by a vet as soon as possible.  Cats also like to hide because they have become stressed – cats can pick up on changes at home.  If you have become stressed, cats can pick up on that and become stressed too. 

 

Does your cat feel unwell?

One reason that cats like to hide is that they are feeling unwell and are exhibiting signs of being in discomfort.  Cats have a tendency to hide the fact they are feeling unwell, so the first sign that they are in pain or discomfort could be a change in their behaviour, such as a cat who does not normally hide is suddenly exhibiting this behaviour.

If you have any reason to believe that this may be the cause of your cat hiding, then you must ensure that your cat is checked over by a vet as soon as possible so that action can be taken, and your cat can be nursed back to health.

One of the most upsetting experiences I have ever had with a cat is when my cat, Patch, was nearing the end of his life and I could not find him, even after calling him several times.  I eventually found him curled up in the washing machine – he had never exhibited this behaviour in the past, but I think he felt this place was warm, safe and secure.

It does not automatically follow, of course, that if your cat hides in the washing machine it is unwell – it may be that it just finds in warm inside the machine.  You must, however, ensure that your cat knows that it must not hide in the washing machine – you would not want to turn on the appliance unaware that the cat is hiding there.

If, however, and this is obviously our preferred outcome, the vet has checked over your cat and has given it a clean bill of health, then you must then look into other reasons why your cat may be exhibiting this behaviour.

 

Cats like to regulate their temperature

Cats love to hide in cabinets, my cat Bess being no exception because they are cool in the summer whilst remaining warm in the winter, making them the best hiding place all year round.  If your cat exhibits this behaviour, it is prudent to ensure that food is not in the cabinet your cat chooses to spend its time – you do not want your food to become contaminated for any reason, or to find that your cat has helped itself to a snack whilst in the cabinet!!

 

Does your cat like paper bags?

It is perfectly natural for your cat to want to hide in a paper bag or cardboard box – I have found my current cat, Bess, lying in paper bags in numerous occasions.  Whilst a paper bag is safe for your cat, you must ensure that you do not allow your cat to play with a plastic bag as this can be dangerous for your cat.  For further information regarding the dangers of plastic bags, please read my article.

 

Is your cat pregnant?

If your cat is pregnant, this may also make her wish to hide away in a place she feels safe and secure so that she can prepare for the birth of her kittens.  If a cat was pregnant in the wild, she would find a place where she could not be found by predators because a cat and her kittens would be very vulnerable.

If you find that the place the mother cat has chosen is not a place you deem unsuitable, you should provide the cat with an alternative such as a box placed in a location that you have easy access to so that you can keep an eye on her but at the same time giving her the quiet place she needs.

 

Has your cat any reason to feel fear?

If your cat feels it has reason to be fearful of a situation, this could contribute to why it hides.  If you have other pets who may be bullying your cat, it may choose to hide itself away to avoid confrontation with the other animal.  If you have more than one cat, cats can become very territorial so will always want to claim certain places for their own.

 

Has your cat become stressed?

If your cat is a new addition to the family home, it is completely natural that the cat may want to hide away for the first few days, especially in places hard for you to reach.  Your cat is not taking this action because it is scared of you or does not like you – it simply needs time to adjust to its new surroundings.

It is entirely possible that your cat will feel overwhelmed by its new surroundings, and will want to run and hide in a place where it feels safe and secure.  The cat may also feel stressed because it has been taken away from everything it knows.

Many years ago, my first cat, Patch, ran and hid behind the washing machine in the utility room as soon as he was taken out of his carrier, and I was unsure where he was until I heard a faint meowing coming from that direction.  I had to move the washing machine out to get to him!!

I did, on this occasion, feel the necessity to place a block of wood to prevent access to this area because I felt it could be unsafe for him to be there.  He did, however, quickly adjust to his new living arrangements, and I am sure your cat will too.

If you have added new furniture to your home or have moved home this could contribute to your cat’s stress because cats do not cope very well with a change of any sort, so you may love the new furniture in your home, but your cat may not regard it with the same sentiment as you.

If you have introduced a new pet into the family home, such as a dog or a bird, your cat may become stressed because it no longer feels it is the master or mistress of its territory and finds that difficult to cope with.  For more information regarding how to keep your cat away from your bird, please read my article.

If you feel that these could be reasons why your cat has become stressed, you should allow it to hide anywhere it feels safe as long as this place is not dangerous for it to be.  Cats are better able to deal with stressful situations if they can hide away and shut it out.

If you think that your cat has become stressed, but are unsure of the reason for this change in its behaviour, you should consult the help of your vet, who will be able to advise you further.

Bess hides away immediately after I return with her after a trip to the vet – she, like many other cats, finds a trip to the vet very stressful, but this is, of course, sometimes unavoidable, especially if you feel your cat is unwell.

 

Is your cat afraid of visitors?

I have found that my cat, Bess, hides whenever I have visitors; I think having new people in the home heightens her feelings of insecurity and stress, and she feels afraid of what she considers to be intruders in her territory.  She usually hides under the bed so that she can watch is going on whilst being safe in the knowledge that she will not be disturbed.

If, like Bess, your cat is afraid of visitors, it is crucial that it has access to its eating area and toilet facilities at all times, so you must ensure that any visitors do not enter these areas – your cat needs to know it can access these areas without feeling it will be disturbed.

If your visitor states that cats normally like them and that they are sure they will be able to become good friends with your cat, you should still not allow them to meet the cat.  It could contribute to your cat’s stress levels because even if visitors want to meet the cat, the cat may not want to meet them, and you should respect your cat’s decision to hide.

 

Now that we have discussed the reasons why your cat may want to hide, we can move on to discuss the actions you can take to deal with the situation, and actions you must never take.  I also discuss some preventative actions you may be able to take to prevent your cat from hiding.

 

Actions you should take

Whilst you are finding out why your cat is hiding away all the time, you should ensure that you create a safe environment for your cat by providing it with multiple places to hide such as cupboards, paper bags, baskets and cardboard boxes.

If you call your cat to come and have some food, this may coax it out of its hiding place of its own accord. If you can coax your cat to come to you, you could try feeding it by hand – if it is unwilling to take the food from your hand, it could be displaying signs of stress.  You should try sitting nearby and passing a treat to your cat.  The cat may eventually be willing to take the treat from you.

 

Actions you must never take

One of the main actions you must never take in these situations is to shout at your cat: this action is only going to contribute to the problem, and will not have the desired outcome.

If you know where your cat is hiding, you must never attempt to remove it from the place it feels safe and secure against its will; this will heighten your cat’s stress, and make it more determined to hide.  Your cat could even lash out at you if you try to remove it from the location against its will.

You could also inadvertently injure your cat because cats tend to dig their claws into the area if they do not want to be removed from a place, and if you are not very careful, you may injure their claws.  If your cat feels less stressed, it is less likely to want to hide away.

Another action you should avoid taking is to stroke your cat where it is hiding – this may also contribute to your cat hiding because it sees that it can obtain attention from you whenever it hides away, so will continue to do so to obtain this attention more often.  It is best to simply ignore your cat under these circumstances unless you have to try and coax your cat from its hiding place.  Your cat will usually come out of its hiding place given time.

 

Preventative actions you may be able to take

If you are able to take this course of action, you could provide your cat with its own room so that it knows that it can go there if it wants to be away from everybody and any other pets you may have in your home.  This may help to contribute to your cat’s feelings of security.

If all else has failed to stop your cat hiding, you could try shutting the doors in your home and ensuring that your cat only has access to a few places – this may not help to prevent your cat from hiding itself away, but at least you have narrowed down the places it could hide in.  Please bear in mind, however, that this course of action could be dangerous to perform multiple times because it could contribute to your cat’s stress levels.