They crawl behind half-closed doors, seep into cracks and feel quite comfortable in the dark and confined space.
Once we knocked off our feet – we were looking for our cat literally all day. He could not go anywhere, no one opened the door to the entrance. He did not respond to “Misha, kitty-kitty”. They could not find it anywhere at all. Already they began to think that the cat played on the balcony, hunting for a pigeon, and fell down. When the panic began to roll over, Misha, yawning drawlingly, climbed out of the sofa. How he got there is a mystery.
Our Misha is not alone in his addictions. Every now and then there are photos or videos of cats sleeping in drawers of kitchen tables, hiding behind the refrigerator or in the gap between the cabinet and the wall. Are they so afraid of their masters that they hide all the time?
“For a cat, this behavior is completely normal. Yes, she is a predator, but rather small. This means that it can potentially become prey for larger animals. Therefore, the cat has a genetic need to find shelter and hide, ”says Jessica Charo, an animal behavior expert.
So relax – if the cat is hiding, then not necessarily from you. She’s just hiding. But so that the pet does not climb into potentially dangerous places for it, experts advise putting the cat’s bed or house in a secluded place, preferably somewhere higher, where the animal can be alone with itself. This, by the way, is the second reason why cats hide: they lack personal space, loneliness.
The third reason for feline hide and seek is stress. If children or other animals appear in the house, cats are often worried.
In the worst case, this behavior of the pet can mean that the cat is sick. This is also genetic – animals move away from the herd when they are sick, so that they are not considered weak or vulnerable. Therefore, if suddenly your cat suddenly becomes restless and strives to hide far away, and this was not the case with him before, show him to the veterinarian.