Why Do Cats Hide? The Answer May Surprise You
Hiding is an age-old practice cats have used to survive since the beginning of time. While hiding is a natural behavior, it can also be a sign that your cat is feeling afraid or stressed.
If you find he’s hiding more than usual, it’s a good idea to evaluate the environment and see if there are any potential reasons he may be feeling scared or anxious.
Having said that, sometimes cats hide just for comfort and security when they’ve found a cozy spot to sleep.
Let’s look a bit more closely at why cats hide, and what it may mean for their health and well-being.
#1. Natural behavior
Hiding is instinctive for cats. It’s a way of staying safe from predators and is also handy for ambushing prey when they’re out hunting for mice.
In a home environment, some cats prefer to hide in elevated spaces, some prefer to hide under something, and others like to squeeze into tiny, dark, tight spaces.
If you understand your cat’s individual preferences, it can help you provide him with the best hiding spots.
These might include an array of cardboard boxes or a cat tree with high shelves and an enclosed space or two. The more the better!
If you want to get creative, here’s a quick and thrifty way to put together the optimal hiding place for your cat. All you need is a box, some tape, and an old T-shirt to create the ultimate of cat caves.
At the Cat and Dog House, our cats generally like their hidey holes to be on high shelves, under the bed, or in dark spaces at the bottom of a cupboard, so we have boxes all over the house in strategic locations.
Not the best look perhaps, but they seem to like it.
We once spent an hour looking for our Dubai rescue kitten Jeffrey, who had jumped in a bedroom drawer without me noticing. We turned the house upside down looking for him before I finally pulled out the drawer thinking to myself, “He won’t be in here.”
Except he was. He was curled up cozy as anything and just looked up at me as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to be there.
#2. Feeling afraid or stressed
Hiding can also be a sign that your cat is feeling scared or distressed.
Environmental changes
Take note if there have been any changes at home, such as the introduction of a new pet, a new kitten, or a baby into the household, visitors to the home, home renovations, or even rearranging the furniture.
Environmental changes like this equate to stressful situations for many cats.
New cat
Fearful hiding behavior could also be triggered by loud noises (e.g. vacuuming or drilling) or you’ve just adopted your kitty and brought him to his forever home.
At this stage, he’ll probably be feeling scared and unsure. All those unfamiliar people, scents, and noises, not to mention a completely new environment.
It’s important to give him time and space, allowing him to hide until he feels comfortable enough to come out.
Multi-cat household
If you have a multi-cat household, then one cat may be bullying another and one kitty is hiding because he’s scared to come out.
To address this, you’ll need to make sure you have an optimal environmental set-up and a multi-pronged approach to include:
- Providing multiple resources (litter trays, food bowls, water bowls, access to toys)
- Vertical space through shelving and cat trees
- Hidey holes
- Interactive games and play
- Controlled positive interactions
- Plenty of mental stimulation
I write about this in much more detail in Cats fighting? Tips on how to get cats to get along.
#3. Giving birth
Cats may also hide before, during, and after giving birth. This is a time when they feel especially vulnerable and in need of a safe and quiet place to have their kittens and keep them safe.
Leave your cat be during this time, as she will likely only want to come out for food, water, and bathroom breaks.
Providing her with clean bedding and a quiet, secluded area will give her the space she needs to feel comfortable during this important time.
If you have other cats in the household, make sure they are not bothering or disturbing your pregnant cat while she is hiding.
#4. Pain or illness
As many cat owners know, our feline friends aren’t always terribly forthcoming when it comes to letting us know they’re feeling sick.
That’s because they’ve evolved to hide the fact that they’re injured or have some kind of medical issue.
Although cats are predators who prey on smaller animals, they themselves are also prey to larger animals such as foxes or coyotes. And when a cat is elderly, sick, weak, or in pain, he knows he is vulnerable and at risk of being attacked.
Hiding away in a safe space and not advertising any health problems is an integral part of your cat’s survival strategy.
So if you see any sudden changes in your cat’s behavior and there’s no obvious reason for it, keep an eye on his body language or behavior to try to ascertain any signs of illness.
How do I know if my cat is in pain?
There are certain things that you can look out for in your cat’s behavior which may indicate he might be dealing with some health issues or is in pain:
- Reduced appetite
- Reduced activity level
- Lethargy
- Hunched body posture
- Decreased interest in playing or exploring outdoors
- Being withdrawn
- Avoids being handled
- Stiff gait or limping
- Poor mood and temperament (e.g. irritability, anger, aggression)
- Unusual vocalizations (e.g. intense yowling or meowing, hissing or growling at you if you come too close. Note: some cats purr when they’re in pain)
- Changes in bathroom habits (if a cat is in pain it may be difficult for him to climb in and out of his litter tray or cover his deposits)
- Changes in behavior (he may no longer jump up onto higher surfaces or jump down onto the floor because it’s too painful)
- Decreased grooming (too painful to reach certain areas) (Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, 2022).
You can also sometimes tell if your cat’s in pain or feeling ill by his facial expressions.
For example, he may squint, slow blink, or close his eyes. His ears may be flattened and his mouth, nose, and cheeks may appear to be tight or tense. His pupils may also be dilated (Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, 2022).
If you suspect your cat is in pain, it’s important to take him to the vet as soon as possible to find out what is the underlying cause.
How do I get my cat to stop hiding?
It all depends on why your cat is hiding. If he’s sick or in pain then it’s a natural instinct for him to hide until he feels better. Getting him the treatment he needs from your veterinarian will help him heal and, hopefully, stop the hiding behavior.
If your cat is hiding due to fear or stress, try to identify the source and address it if possible (e.g. introduce a new cat or dog slowly, provide safe spaces where he can retreat when you have visitors or there’s a lot of noisy renovations going on).
In cases where he may be hiding due to fear or anxiety, providing a safe and comfortable environment can definitely help your kitty feel more confident and secure.
This may involve providing plenty of appropriate hiding places, playing with him regularly to increase his confidence, and providing mental stimulation through food puzzle toys, wand toys, or chasing games that allow him to tap into his instinctual predatory behavior.
These are all great ways to get your cat to use his rational brain, which helps to inhibit his emotional brain. In this way, we can reduce feelings of fear and stress and help him to stay more calm and relaxed.
My cat hides all day and comes out at night
It can be totally normal for your feline friend to be more active at night and sleep during the day.
This is just part of his natural predatory behavior, as he would typically hunt for prey at dawn or dusk in the wild.
It may also be that your cat feels safer at night when the house is quiet and no one’s around.
In which case, you’ll want to provide more mental and environmental enrichment as outlined above to work on building his confidence and reduce his fear, while building up a positive association with you.
How long does a cat usually hide for?
This is another of those “it depends” type questions. If he’s a social cat who is generally confident and happy, he may only hide for a short period of time until the perceived or potential threats have passed.
If you’ve just brought him back from the animal shelter, he’ll need time to adjust to his new home. You may find disappears and hides away for a few hours or even several days. He may only come out at night.
But as he learns that he’s safe in this strange new place and gets to know his new family and environment, he’ll most likely start spending more time out in the open.
If your cat is hiding due to a chronic fear or anxiety issue, it can take longer for him to feel confident enough to come out from his hiding spots and spend more time with you and your family. Nevertheless, he may continue to hide periodically throughout his life.
It’s important to be patient and provide the secure, enriched environment he needs to feel safe and confident.
Finally, if your cat is hiding because he’s injured, sick, or in pain, it’s important to take him to the vet as soon as possible for proper treatment and care. Once he is feeling better, he will most likely stop hiding and resume his normal behavior.
As with so many things in animal behavior, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The length of time a cat may hide can vary depending both on the cat and the situation.
Should I let a scared cat hide?
In general, the best thing is to let a scared cat hide. As I mentioned earlier, hiding is a natural response for cats. Forcing them out of their hiding spots can cause further stress and harm the trust they have in you as their owner.
Instead, just be patient and give your new kitty some time to adjust to his surroundings. If he wants to hide, let him hide. Don’t try to force him out into the open.
You want him to learn that he can trust you and that means working to his timeline, not yours. It’ll be worth it in the end I can assure you!
Letting your cat control when and how he interacts with you is also key. If he only wants to spend a few minutes with you each day or hang out with you at a distance, that’s totally fine.
There’s a reason cats are often particularly attracted to the one person in the room who doesn’t actually like them – because that’s usually the one person who’s ignoring them and not overwhelming them with kissy noises and eye contact!
Ironically, that’s the person they feel most safe with and make a beeline for.
Again, if your cat is hiding due to injury or illness, it’s important to take him to the vet for a full check-up.
Hiding reduces stress in shelter cats
A study by Kry and Casey (2007) examined the effect of hiding enrichment on the stress and behavior of cats in a shelter environment.
The researchers compared the behavior of 43 cats, some who had a BC SPCA Hide & Perch™ box (the enriched group) and some who had a regular open cat bed (the control group).
The researchers noted a “significant reduction in stress…between all study days in the enriched group.” They reported that stress levels in the enriched group “declined further between the fifth and the 14th day, while those of the control group increased.”
In addition, cats in the enriched group “were significantly more likely to approach and displayed relaxed behaviours much more frequently.” (Kry & Casey, 2007).
The results of the study suggest that the welfare of shelter cats is improved if they are given the opportunity to hide.
Another study (Vinke et al., 2014) found that newly arrived cats to a shelter who were provided with a hiding box “were able to recover faster in their new environment compared to cats without a hiding box.”
The researchers concluded that “the hiding box appears to be an important enrichment for the cat to cope effectively with stressors in a new shelter environment the first weeks after arrival.” (Vinke et al., 2014).
This just shows what an important behavior hiding is for cats and a box is such a simple addition to any cat’s environment.
When is hiding a problem?
It’s always important to consider the cat’s welfare and quality of life. If he’s terrified to ever come out of his hiding place or only does so at night or when you’re not around, or is sick or in pain, then these are issues that need to be addressed.
“Hiding is excessive if it interferes with the daily activities that your cat needs to do, including eating, drinking, and urinating and defecating,” says certified feline behavior and training consultant Dr. Marci L. Koski.
There’s also the issue of safety.
“I’ve heard of cats being electrocuted behind clothes dryers and killed when they were locked in clothes dryers hiding in a pile of warm clothes that needed further drying,” says Dr. Koski. If you have a laundry room or laundry closet, please keep the door closed so that your cats cannot access these machines!
The same goes for other electronic devices, like TVs, refrigerators, water heaters, washing machines, or laptops as they generate heat and provide the perfect cozy spot for a cat to nap in/on/behind.
I once had a foster kitten who jumped into the fridge without me realizing it! Luckily I opened the door again a few minutes later and out he jumped. We also once had to extract a tiny street kitten from the warm spot he’d climbed up to inside a car engine.
These kitties can – and do – squeeze themselves into the smallest spaces!
Final thoughts
Our domestic cats are creatures who, by their very nature, like to hide away. While this is a typical feline behavior, sometimes cats hide because they’re afraid or in pain.
So if your cat is normally a social butterfly and suddenly starts hiding, it could be a sign that something is wrong and you should take him to the vet.
However, if he is generally shy and hides often, there’s probably no cause for concern as long as he’s eating and using the litter box regularly.
Keep an eye on your kitty’s hiding habits and be sure to consult a professional if you have any concerns about his health or well-being.
Otherwise, just let him be – after all, a little privacy can be nice for us humans too!
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Resources
- Cat Hideaway | Made In Battersea [Video] – Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
- Hide, Perch & Go™ box – BC SPCA
- Hiding Behavior in Cats – Dr. Marci L. Koski
- How Do I Tell if My Cat is in Pain? – Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
- The effect of hiding enrichment on stress levels and behaviour of domestic cats (Felis sylvestris catus) in a shelter setting and the implications for adoption potential – K Kry and R Casey
- Why Is My Cat Hiding? – Battersea Dogs & Cats Home
- Will a hiding box provide stress reduction for shelter cats? – C.M.Vinke, L.M.Godijn, & W.J.R. van der Leij
NEED HELP FROM A CAT BEHAVIOR SPECIALIST? If you need more help dealing with a training or behavior issue, please find professional help from a certified feline behavior consultant. They will be able to offer you tailored advice for your cat(s) and situation. Good places to start are: - International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants - COAPE Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers - American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior
