Cats unusual hiding spots

Cats like to hide in unusual hiding spots. Years ago, my Amiga was hit by a car outside. She went back inside and hid in a neon lamp box, very long and barely wider than a broomstick. I looked for her everywhere, and then she suddenly slid out of the box. I couldn’t believe she managed to get inside, fat as she is. I took her to the vet, and she’d made full recovery.

Where do cats hide?

• Under the bed or sofa
• In the closet
• Cats love hiding in cardboard boxes
• In shrubs
• Grocery bags
• Laundry basket
• Under parked cars

Why do cats hide?

Sick cats find hiding places because in the wild, a sick or wounded animals were easy prey because of their limited ability to run or fight. If your cat hides for a long time, it can indicate a health problem.

A new cat seek hiding spots because she’s scared of the new house and doesn’t trust the new owner yet. When I brought Hazelnut home, when she was a feral motherless kitten, she hid under the sofa for a day and a half. A new cat is more likely to find hiding places if there are other pets in the house.

Many years ago, I bought a new cat into a household already occupied by a huge, tough cat. The new cat, Milky, hid under the bed while Angel made a variety of sounds. Come out and play with me. She’d ran and hid in the small space between the laundry machine and the wall, and had stayed there for three days!

Cats like to hide. This is what they do in the wild, find a hiding spot and wait for prey. A cat can hide just for fun.

Or the cat wants to play, and she finds a hiding place where she can wait for the human or other animals in the household to arrive, and then leap on them. Playfully. Unless it’s an ambush. Revenge.

My Amiga does it sometimes, hiding in corner with her tail slapping sideways playfully. Then she leaps on Princessa or Hazelnut. Once Hazelnut had jumped on two and did a backward somersault.

Angel, now long dead, may his soul rest in feline heaven, had hid behind a corner half an hour after I forced a pill down his throat. And then he leapt at my foot as I walked by and bit and scratched for revenge. He was more tiger than cat.

Cats can stay in dark hiding spot for long periods of time because cats have night vision.

Sometimes cats just want privacy, being rather isolated animals by nature. They love their humans, but they need alone time.

Feral mother cats often hide their kittens under bushes, so cat learn to associate hiding with safety from a very young age.

It’s difficult to find a hiding cat

Cat hide well, and you may not always be able to find them, especially outside. They can crawl into bushes too small for a human, and they have the patience to wait you out.

One lady told me her kitten hid in the house, and she’d looked for him all day, but she couldn’t find him until he decided to come out and demand his dinner. He was pretty angry that dinner was late and had considered it lousy service.

I can never find my cats when they’re in the yard, unless they come to me, or I hear the bush’s leaves rustling.

How to get a cat out of a hiding place?

canned cats food has a strong aroma that cats find irresistible. Some cans have sharp edges, and cats can hurt themselves if they eat straight from the can. Place the food in a bowl and position it close to the hiding spot where your cat is hiding. You can add treats.

And there’s always catnip.

Should you lure a cat out of a hiding spot?

Usually, the best thing to do is just let the cat stay where she feels safe. She’ll come out eventually. The length of time a cat will stay in a hiding place depends on how stressing the situation is and the cat’s personality. Some cats are more anxious than others, just like some humans suffer from anxiety.

However, if you want to make your cat swallow a pill or take it to the vet, you might wait a long time. Your cat may read the signs and know what you’re planning to do, and this can be the reason why it’s hiding.

In such a case, catnip and treats won’t do the trick. You may have to resort to the water bottle, or drag a chair on the floor. The noise will bother the cat, and she might go out of hiding.

Always be careful not to drag the furniture on the cat’s paws or tail when dragging it on the floor.

Getting a cat out of hiding cat be tricky and dangerous

If the cat is hiding because she doesn’t want to go to the vet or swallow a pill, stretching your arm and attempting to drag it by the back of the neck can turn into a very painful experience for you. The cat under the bed or sofa is in a pretty strategic position, where she finds it easier to claw, like a soldier placing his head behind a rock and shooting. Except the cat uses her claws instead of a gun. The cat finds it easier to resist being held by the back of the neck and dragged when in a good hiding spot.

This might be a good time to call in a professional cats’ trapper.

Of course, that depends on the cat’s personality. Gentler cats may not scratch when being dragged out of hiding, or they won’t scratch too hard. You know your cat, and you know what to expect, more or less, because cats are rather unpredictable. Just keep in mind a hiding cat is more likely to strike and more difficult to catch and drag.

What are the strangest places your cat turned into hiding places? Did you ever find your cat in a bizarre hiding spot?

If you liked this post, share it!

This window perch will allow your cat to watch the amazing world outside, birds and jumping grasshoppers in the grass. Your feline can bask in the sun at daytime and watch the night creatures. Space-saving and providing exercise by requiring your cat to jump to the window perch. Click to view.