{"id":607153,"date":"2024-06-03T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T14:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/?p=607153"},"modified":"2024-06-28T04:06:51","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T08:06:51","slug":"why-cats-hide-in-tiny-spaces-olga-looks-for-cover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/felines-weekly\/why-cats-hide-in-tiny-spaces-olga-looks-for-cover\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Cats Hide in Tiny Spaces: Olga Looks for Cover"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, I\u2019m Christopher!\u00a0Read my introduction<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about me and my silly Russian Blue cat, Olga.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Domestic cats are talented climbers, leapers, and hunters, and although most love to view their environments from elevated positions, they also enjoy hiding in cramped spaces. Squeezing their bodies into small spaces is a skill most dogs probably envy, but it comes naturally to felines. They have an anatomical advantage; unlike humans, their shoulder blades and collarbones are connected to other body parts by muscles, not bones.<\/p>\n

Fearful Hiding<\/h2>\n

When homes become too chaotic or noisy for cats, they usually run and hide. It doesn\u2019t seem remarkable or out of the ordinary, but I\u2019m impressed by how quickly Olga disappears when she\u2019s scared or ready to play. If someone in my neighborhood sets off a bottle rocket, Roman candle, or firecracker, Olga breaks the sound barrier when she runs for cover.<\/p>\n

Thunderstorms don\u2019t faze her, but she\u2019s miserable on the 4th of July. It\u2019s the only time of year she spends hours hiding under the couch, and the terrified expression on her face makes me feel sorry for her.<\/p>\n

\"Why
Why did you turn on the lights? I was having a splendid nap on your clothes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hiding to Relax and Annoy Humans<\/h2>\n

However, she also hides every morning after eating breakfast when she\u2019s content. Hiding because of fear isn\u2019t unusual for cats, but I think they also enjoy it when they\u2019re not stressed or frightened. Cramming themselves into tiny spaces may make them feel more secure, and some cats understand how hard it is for humans to find them, and they enjoy watching their owners trying to locate them.<\/p>\n

Olga usually runs up to me if I call her name, but if she sees me packing my bags for a trip<\/a> or hauling the cat carrier out of the closet, she finds an effective hiding spot and won\u2019t respond to my calls. Her morning hiding spot is under the bed, but when she doesn\u2019t want to be found, she hides in the bathroom or behind a cabinet in the living room.<\/p>\n

Skillful Hiding<\/h2>\n

Sometimes, she hides in the bathtub<\/a>, and once, after searching my house for 30 minutes, I found her behind the toilet. Discovering her hiding spot hurts her pride, and she lashes out when I try to pick her up. When she was a kitten, she was more violent and often used flatulence to convince me to put her down. Thankfully, she no longer uses that defense mechanism.<\/p>\n

\"Christopher
Christopher rarely looks in the bathtub when we’re playing hide and seek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s irritating when you can\u2019t find a hidden cat, but Olga isn\u2019t as difficult to locate as my last cat. My Siamese cat rarely kept his mouth closed unless he was eating, sleeping, or hiding, and he was a talented escape artist. He didn\u2019t stay in one place but moved around as I searched for him.<\/p>\n

He escaped when I took him to the coast to visit my friends several years ago. We searched for hours and even had the local Sheriff help after he questioned us about why we were creeping around a cemetery in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n

At some point during the search, he ran back into the house, and I found him in the kitchen cupboard behind the canned goods. Olga isn\u2019t as devious when she hides, and I\u2019m lucky that she\u2019s never tried to run outside<\/a>.<\/p>\n

See Also\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n