Cats love to hide in cardboard boxes and paper shopping bags. Your cat may even enjoy crouching under a coffee table or chair. Why do cats like to hide so much and how can you provide safe hiding places for your cat?
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| Why is my cat hiding? |
Why do cats hide?
Cats like it indoors, such as under furniture and in boxes, because they like to feel safe and secure. Hiding is a normal behavior of a cat. It can be patterned, e.B. in the colder months next to the water heater or tumble dryer. Concern arises when a cat hides much more often. A normal social cat that suddenly hides more often can be sick, stressed, anxious, or a combination of the three1.
If your cat hides more often, make sure she eats normally, drinks, and goes to the bathroom. Cats can hide more when they're not feeling well and pain or discomfort your cat feels can also affect their eating and bathroom habits. Hiding more often due to a medical condition is considered a non-specific symptom in cats. That is, if your cat is hiding due to a medical problem, it may be due to a variety of disease processes. Your veterinarian may be able to determine a specific reason with the help of a thorough physical exam, as well as tests such as blood tests and X-rays.
If your veterinarian can't find a medical error in your cat, your cat's sudden interest in constantly hiding could be a real behavioral problem. Cats can easily be stressed by environmental changes. Things like moving to a new home, new people or pets in the house, or even just moving furniture can stress out a cat. In the household with several cats, it is quite possible for one cat to bully another; so the bullied cat can hide because she is nervous about being on the road where the bullied cat might see her. This is actually a fairly common problem in multi-cat houses and is called intercat aggression. Cats can also have noise phobias, as dogs sometimes do, so your cat hides during thunderstorms and fireworks simply out of fear.
If your cat is more likely to hide due to stress or anxiety, your veterinarian may recommend anxiolytic medications such as amitriptyline, clomipramine, or fluoxetine2. Medications such as gabapentin can help relieve stress during acute stressful events, such as .B. during veterinary visits3, during thunderstorms, fireworks or when traveling. However, as with most behavioral problems, medications are not a permanent solution. Rather, they help relieve stress in your cat while you both work to reduce the stressors. Adding pheromone diffusers like Feliway can help make your home "smell" more cat-friendly for your cat. Don't worry, you won't be able to smell the diffuser, but the pheromone it releases can have a calming effect on cats. Allow your cat to slowly get used to new people in your home.4. A cat will warm up much faster for someone who can respect their habitat, both in life and personally, and they will be much less stressed if they are not forced into unwanted cuddling sessions. Intercat aggression is a more nuanced problem and your veterinarian may suggest changes in your home, such as:
How to provide your cat with safe hiding places
Since hiding is a normal behavior in cats, it's best to provide your cat with safe hiding places rather than preventing them from hiding. In this way, they do not hide in unsafe rooms such as washing machine and dryer or behind appliances. Most cats like to be high above the ground. Thus, providing cozy spaces, such as a cat bed on a sturdy bookshelf or a scratching post with a built-in cube, can be a tempting hiding place.
Older cats can be arthritic, even if they don't show it. This can include cartons, either homemade or commercially made scratching posts, but also their carriers. In fact, it may be easier for you to go to the veterinarian with your cat if you leave your cat's transport box outside all the time with comfortable bedding. If your cat sees their transport box as a safe hiding place, it's easier to place it in it when it's time to go somewhere.
Hiding is a normal behavior for your cat. They really just need to worry if they hide more often or hide in unsafe areas. For more ideas on how to create safe hiding places for your cat, or for more information about when to worry about hiding your cat, contact your veterinarian.
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