What this means
The first thing to know: a new behaviour, such as a cat starting to hide under the bed, in a cupboard or in another dark spot, is very often a sign of pain or illness, not a matter of character, habit or training. Cats hide weakness by nature, so hiding may be the only thing you notice.
Cats hide for several reasons. An injured or sore cat withdraws, heart disease and other illnesses that make breathing hard can cause the same behaviour, and so can a general feeling of being unwell. Hiding and going off food together is an especially worrying combination. Fear or a big change at home can also make a cat hide, but that is worth considering only once a vet has ruled out illness.
Write down since when the cat has been hiding, how often, whether it eats and drinks, how it breathes at rest, whether it sleeps unusually much and whether its behaviour in the litter box has changed. These notes help a vet find the cause sooner.
Possible causes
These are things that can cause this sign. It is not a diagnosis, and they are not equally likely for your cat.
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Injury or pain
An injured cat may simply hide, move less or stop eating. The pain may not show, even though the cat is uncomfortable.
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Heart disease
When the heart works less well, a cat tires sooner, breathes harder, eats less and hides more. The disease can stay unnoticed for a long time.
About the condition: Heart disease -
A thickening heart muscle
When the heart muscle thickens, a cat may tire sooner, play less and hide more. Sometimes breathing at rest becomes faster or harder.
About the condition: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -
Another illness or a fever
Sick cats withdraw and rest quietly. Hiding can be the first sign of illness.
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Difficulty breathing or general weakness
A cat short of air or strength looks for a quiet, secluded spot. This can be a serious condition that needs an urgent examination.
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Fear, stress or changes at home
A new animal, noises or a move can also make a cat hide. This is worth considering only once illness has been ruled out.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- Since when and how often the cat hides
- Whether it eats and drinks as usual
- How it breathes at rest, and whether the breathing is fast or laboured
- Whether its behaviour in the litter box has changed
- Whether it moves, jumps or plays less
- Whether it recently fell, fought or had another mishap
When to book a routine visit
Have a vet see the cat if it has started hiding for the first time, hides more than before or is eating less. If it also breathes with difficulty, refuses all food or has been injured, go straight away.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Heart disease Heart A general name for conditions in which the heart can no longer pump blood properly: the heart muscle, the valves or the heart's rhythm can be affected, and some defects are present from birth. In cats heart disease can stay hidden for a long time, so it sometimes comes to light only once it has advanced.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Heart A disease of the heart muscle in which the wall of the heart slowly thickens, so the heart fills with blood less easily and pumps it less well. It can go unnoticed for a long time, and the signs sometimes appear only once it has advanced. For cats it matters because it can affect breathing and circulation.
- Injuries General health Physical harm to the body: falls from a height, road accidents, bites from other animals, cuts or burns. Even an injury that looks minor can hide damage inside, and cats are very good at hiding pain.
- Urethral blockage Kidneys and urinary tract A condition in which the urethra, the narrow tube that carries urine out of the bladder, is blocked by a plug or a small stone, and the cat can no longer pass urine. It is an emergency that can threaten life within hours.
Body systems: Heart General health Kidneys and urinary tract