Hiding ever indicates something serious when pet talk show personality Tracy
Hotchner appeared on the Martha Stewart Show. Martha Stewart brought her newly
adopted cat to co-star in the segment these days Tracy is the founder of the
radio pet lady Network but at the time she had a show series radio channel
unfortunately when it came time for the cameras to roll the feline guest of
honor had seemingly disappeared then they looked on the bookshelf and found
the cat squeezed between two of Martha's cookbooks says Tracy with a laugh if
you're a cat parent you probably relate to Tracy's anecdote about cat hiding cat
hiding at a glance when it comes to hiding our felines are so skilled that
you often become convinced your beloved Kitty has magically vanished only to
eventually find her nestled in the nook of a cupboard perched up high above the
kitchen cabinets or stealthily staking it out under the bed but why is your cat
hiding and is it an issue if your favorite feline is indulging in hiding
behaviors a little too often why is your cat hiding when discussing
cat hiding tracy relates it to a felines place in the animal food chain cats are
fearful prey animals she says almost any noise or new person
or other animal or moving furniture can be stressful and drive them to hide
hotchner's characterization rings true for me every time the apartment doorbell
sounds for delivery my cat mimosa scurries along and hides under the bed
like the end of the world has just been announced mimosa has never
experienced any harm or distress as a direct consequence of the doorbell
sounding but it seems that the newness of the noise which she cannot pinpoint
as originating inside the apartment sparked some cat hiding instinct the
fear of the unknown can make us all act in strange ways what are some preferred
cat hiding spots a common way cats hide is to box themselves in somewhere like
at the back corner of a closet a couple of years ago I was talking to John
Bradshaw a cat science expert an author of cat sent about why cat seemed to pick
such boxed in places as hiding spots he told me that out in the wild feel
are constantly searching for nooks and crannies to rest in because what they
want is to basically have five sides out of six protected this is one reason why
cardboard boxes are such a popular cat hiding spot for five sides out of six
nobody's can get at you and you can keep an eye on the sixth one Bradshaw says
cat hiding in cats and new homes when bringing newly adopted cats home they
often use a form of Bradshaw's math the standard advice to prevent cat hiding is
to set up a small room like a bathroom or utility closet and make sure that
room has all the cat's essentials like food water and a litter box then leave
the cat alone in the room and let her get accustomed to part of her new
environment at her own pace but if you peek in you'll often see the cat hiding
somewhere within the room itself too with my cat mimosa she took up a hiding
position under the sink cabinet presumably to try and achieve Bradshaw's
goal of safely boxing herself in as much as possible while still being able to
spot any advancing intruders is it a sign that something is wrong in mimosa's
case her bout of cat hiding didn't last long after leaving the bathroom door
ajar she eventually sauntered out around midnight to explore her forever home
properly these days she occasionally enjoys hiding out in the closet where
the coats and winter boots are kept while it's natural for cats to retire to
a preferred hiding place every so often and this happens more during the heat
and humidity of summer when they seek out dark spots to cool down look out for
significant increases in cat hiding behaviors that seem less like sneaking
in a little quiet respite and more like a sign of withdrawing knowing your own
cat's habits will tell you whether the hiding is a physical problem or an
emotional one says Tracy if your cat usually reveals herself from
her hiding place at the shake of the treat bag but starts to ignore the call
you might want to consider whether something is amiss just be mindful of
what Tracy says the number one skill needed to be a cat Guardian patience
never try to force a cat out of hiding instead let your cat come out in her own
good time and respect your cat's favorite hiding tactics