Whether they are concealing themselves from something which wants to eat them, or trying to be invisible for something they want to eat, cats bring considerable skill to this endeavor.
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While it can be adorable to see only eyes above a windowsill, or part of a face from around a doorframe, there are dark sides to this cat skill. It’s not dangerous to us, unless we’re actually living in the movie The Incredible Shrinking Man. But it can wind up being dangerous for our cat.
Here’s what to watch out for:
Avoiding appointments. One of the best ways to trigger a disappearing kitty is to let slip that they are about to visit the veterinarian. If we get out the carrier the night before, we shouldn’t be surprised if we have to go on a massive hunt for any cat to keep that appointment.
If we have the room to keep the carrier out all the time, this can be an excellent way to establish the carrier as a security spot, and we won’t be tripping their early warning system. If, like me, living space is at a premium, try to keep the clues out of kitty earshot, and have the cat corralled before the carrier makes an appearance.
Give them safe spaces. If we share our home with small children, dogs, or other rowdy presences, we might have a cat who goes to great lengths to find a spot with enough peace and quiet. Taking steps such as creating a room that is off limits to the rowdy beings will let our cat easily get to their spots without going to extremes.
If we can’t go out, go up. I kept many cats happy, even when they lived with 200 pounds of dogs, by putting shelving and carpeted runways on the walls. Bookcases can have a shelf cleared off just for them. Baby gates can keep a dog out while posing no barrier to an active cat.
Keep tabs on them. An active explorer, or a shy unsocial cat; both are equally likely to get into something they can’t get out of. Over and over again, there’s another story about cats being trapped in recliners, folding couches, or house walls.
Whether they are curious or panicked, knowing where our cats like to be will help us figure out where they might be… when they turn up missing. Time is of the essence if our poor cat is stuck somewhere.
Even in our small apartment, there are places the cats like to hide that we don’t know about. At least, not yet. If something scares them, I can rely on them hiding under the bed.
Once, in connection with a vet appointment, I brought James Bond to my workplace on a Saturday. He had a small litterbox, and food and water dishes, but he was unhappy about this new “home,” and he hid. He hid so well that my two co-workers became distressed that they could not find him, and were worried he had somehow escaped.
I knew he had not; and in five minutes, I had found him where my co-workers failed. This was done with one simple principle; they were looking in places they thought he could fit.
I knew he’d be lurking somewhere that an outside observer would think he could not possibly fit. And so, (behind the printer, on top of the box of paper,) that’s where I found him.
Find out more about Cats in their Spots. To understand how cats understand and manipulate space, see Cats and Dimensions.
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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.
Keeping the cat carrier out is important. We have one that has both a front door and a top door that also serves as a carrying handle; I generally unlatch the top door hours before I need to stuff Yeti in there, as he spooks the moment he hears the latches.
If one gets out the cat carrier the night before at our house, the fastest way to find the cat is look IN the cat carrier.
“Nice nap spot, mom.”
.-= Drew Derbyshire´s last blog ..Just Like a Big Boy =-.
I keep the carrier end up with the gate open in the living room, so that the cats learn to ignore it. I quickly back the cats in when it’s time for the vet, but I noticed weeks ago that one of them had knocked the gate shut. The next vet appointment isn’t until September, but this article reminded me to close it today. As soon as I did, Killsy ran from the living room to under a chair in the next room. At least she didn’t run under the bed. It’s a king-size waterbed and weighs 500 pounds, so I’ve no way to get her out from under it…and she knows it!
Leaving the carrier out works with some cats, but not all. It actually makes Annie more anxious to have it out all of the time, to the point where I once became convinced that she was very ill and needed to go to the vet because she was hiding so persistently. Turned out that she was actually hiding from the carrier and came right out once I put it back in the closet.
She’s a really really good hider, and gets very smug about it if we decide not to force the issue and leave her in the apartment when the cleaning people are doing their thing. We just tell them to make sure the front door stays shut but, even then, she’s not the kind of cat who would dart out past the Scary People and their Scary Cleaning Supplies.
I have to keep my cat carrier put away too, but when I need to take one of my cats to the vet I put the cat in the bathroom and shut the door, then go get the carrier and leave it just outside, where the cat can’t see it as soon as I open the door. Then I nab my going-to-the-vet cat. It has worked every time so far.