‘But his voice has been heard on the roof
When he was curled up by the fire.
And he’s sometimes been heard by the fire
When he was about on the roof’
T.S.Eliot, ‘M. Mistoffelees’, from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, 1939
You may have your very own Mr Mistoffelees, a cat who’s always finding new places to hide from you, but it can be worrying if he’s constantly pulling disappearing acts – especially if he’s hiding somewhere that could be dangerous.
Why do Cats Hide?
There are a number of reasons why cats like to hide, including:
- Fear – It may be that a loud noise has frightened him, or there’s a bunch of people in the house that he doesn’t know. In that case, it’s natural for your cat to want to find somewhere safe and secure to cocoon himself in.
- Comfort – As we all know, cats love to squeeze themselves into comfy little spots, because it keeps them warm and makes them feel secure. Your cat won’t realise that his igloo cat bed is good, but behind the washing machine or dryer is bad because you can’t find him; he’s just looking for the cosiest spot to curl up in and have a nap.
- Illness – It’s natural for a cat to hide if he’s feeling ill. In the wild, any show of weakness could mean he goes from the hunter to the hunted, so if he’s sick he’s likely to want to hide away.
- Natural instinct –Does your cat like to play ‘cat and mouse’? What better place to wait for his prey than somewhere hidden. If your cat has regular hiding places, be on the alert when you walk past with bare ankles.
Dangerous Cat Hiding Places
Hiding behind the sofa where he’s safe is one thing, but there are number of unsafe hiding places for cats in and around your home.
Cars – under the car, under the hood or under the wheel arch, are very common and dangerous places for cats to hide. During winter especially, cats are known to sleep under car hoods for warmth. Next time you get behind the wheel, make a noise, bang on the hood or toot the horn to wake any cat sleeping around the car and give them chance to escape before starting the ignition.
Household Appliances – inside your washing machine or dryer is another warm and tempting sleeping place for cats, so it’s best to leave the doors of appliances closed. If someone in your household puts clothes in without checking, and turns the appliance on, the consequences could be fatal.
Furniture – the recess inside reclining chairs can also be very attractive to your cat, all dark and cosy, so again, make sure that you check he’s not in there before you sit down to relax or when you put the chair back in its full upright position.
One of the best ways to ensure your cat doesn’t hide in dangerous places is to make sure there are plenty of safe and acceptable hiding places around your home – areas where your cat can escape to when he’s feeling scared, unwell or just wants some quiet time around from the hustle and bustle of a busy household.
What are your cat’s favourite hiding places? Does your cat like to hide in dangerous places around the home?
Images: John Morton / Wolfgang Lonien / Robert Couse-Baker / John Pettit via Flickr
Inside foundation mattresses (aka box spring mattress) and lately cabinets, and also behind the washer and dryer when its not on.
I have a cat that a friend brought to me yesterday, She had been an outdoor barn cat for years, but of late had been begging and racing to get in her house. I live in the country and need a mouser in the house and thought this kitty might like a comfy indoor home. She has disappeared in the laundry room and seems to have possible taken refuge in the case of the washer or dryer. I have been leaving tempting tuna out for her, but so far do fat nothing. If she doesn’t appear to have eaten or used her litter box by morning, I think a visit from appliance repairman is in order.
I had a cat once that use to pull of disappearing acts. Every two weeks or so he found a new place in the house to disappear. He only did that when he was alone, though.
Our kitties are not fans of the doorbell. If it rings, we usually find them under the bed!
Great post! It’s important to make sure kitties don’t go into such dangerous places. They are good at finding inappropriate places that we never imagined.
I love Mr. Mistoffelees from Cats. It is amazing some of the places a cat can hide. Our Manx was a world class hider. We used to always have to check for him. These are great tips.
Interesting post!
My kitties will hide under the couch sometimes when company comes over, but they come out soon after.
Our favorite hiding spot is under the bed because the mom can’t reach us.
Zoey likes to hide under the covers on the bed.
The boys seem to rotate hiding spots, actually. A kitty cave downstairs one day, in my bedroom closet another. Angel Chumley would hide in fear when someone came into the house, usually a male. He was a BIG cat, but he’d squeeze himself in between the basement wall and the dryer, a tiny area. One time he managed to burrow under the guest bed comforter — took me a long time to find him in that instance!
Our favorite place to hide is under the bed for the kitties inside. The ones outside love to go under our house. There is big place under there. And I have made three places for the cats outside to go in during rainy or cold weather. They are made just out of old wheelbarrows etc. Some of them go out to the barn and get up in the rafters. And of course, the greatest place to hide is up a tree.
It’s scary how good cats are at tucking themselves into the wrong hiding places. My rescue group just saved a mama cat and her 3 kittens who were hiding in a drying vent at an apartment complex. Lucky for the family a maintenance worker found them and contacted my group.
Cats ALWAYS find the craziest hiding spots. One of our favorites is inside the couch. We’ve torn a hole in the lining of the bottom of the couch so we can get inside of it. MOL! No one can ever find us there!!
Carmine loves to hide in his soft-sided kitty cubes for long naps. Occasionally, he’ll hide under the bed or sofa, too.
Mum and Dad are very careful about it ! Cats are able to hide in strange places, and cannot always come out of their hiding hole without help ! Purrs
My human loves reclining chairs, but she will never own one because she does not want to take the chance of one of us kitties getting hurt!