> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://my-feline.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Hide and Seek: The Need for Hiding Places - URL: https://my-feline.com/hide-and-seek-the-need-for-hiding-places/ - Published: 2025-03-16T09:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-26T14:31:43.000Z - Description: Why cats need hiding spots and how to create them throughout your home. - Author: James Cudd - Tags: Environmental Enrichment, library Most cat owners know the sight of a cat wedged into a shoebox or vanished under the bed. Hiding is a real need rather than a quirk, tied to how safe a cat feels in the world, and research shows that a home with good hiding places is a home with a calmer cat. ### Why Hiding is Essential for Cats ![Cat hiding under furniture](https://ismqigxmrhobxfjfipgo.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/library-environmental-enrichment/ENR-007/ENR-007%20Section%201.jpg) Hiding is an old survival instinct. In the wild, cats are hunters and hunted at the same time, and a safe retreat is the difference between the two. Our cats don't face those dangers, but the instinct hasn't gone anywhere. In 2019, researchers at a Dutch animal shelter gave half of 23 newly arrived cats a cardboard hiding box and the other half nothing. All the cats calmed down over time, but the cats with a box settled about seven days sooner than the cats without one. For an animal in a strange place, a box to disappear into made a week's difference. Hiding gives a cat control. When a cat feels overwhelmed, anxious or simply in need of quiet, a hiding spot lets them watch what's going on from somewhere safe. That's why cats vanish during noisy gatherings, when visitors arrive or after anything changes at home. A reliable hiding place works for a cat much as a quiet room works for us. It's how they manage stress and settle themselves down. The best hiding spots share a few features... **Download and sign up to the My Feline app to read the full article...** --- Research rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 of 5). Last updated 25 August 2026. ### Sources - van der Leij W.J.R., Selman L.D.A.M., Vernooij J.C.M., Vinke C.M. The effect of a hiding box on stress levels and body weight in Dutch shelter cats; a randomized controlled trial. - de Oliveira A.S., Terçariol C.A.S., Genaro G. The Use of Refuges by Communally Housed Cats.