Did you find a cat hiding? Here’s how to help it

Cats are nocturnal animals and generally prefer to stay hidden during the day. The problem which agitates many cat owners is when their previously social cat without any warning starts spending the day hidden. The behavior can be caused by many things including but not limited to stress, fear, a medical issue or even a combination of these.Let us look at a couple ways to help a hiding kitty cat out.

1. Let them take their time warming up to visitors – Most cats aren’t comfortable with a change in their environment. Heck, most people aren’t comfortable with change too. A big change for any cat is the addition of a new person in their environment. Cats naturally assume a new person or animal is a threat. It’s just how they are made. It is important to give a cat time to adjust to the new person and let them accept the new person or animal on their own terms. A big no-no is invading the cats’ personal space when they display clear signs that they do not want to be near the visitor.
2. Normalize a new environment – A big part of working in the modern age is moving to a new house. Unfortunately, cats get really stressed out when they are faced with such drastic changes. It takes a while for them to adjust and it can take even longer for them to adjust the more you move things around. The best thing to do is to unpack everything as quickly as possible and settle in because this will help calm your feline friend. He/she will recognize familiar objects and quickly settle in.
3. Let them know that they have a safe space – Cats are both predator and prey in the wild. When a visitor visits home, many cats switch to prey behavior. Prey behavior can be seen as the cat running away and hiding. Your cat will find plenty of hiding spaces on its own so there’s no need to try to help it find one. What you can do to make them feel more at ease is to steer your visitor away from their safe spots. This will give them more time to process the situation. Knowing that they have a place to go to whenever they feel threatened gives them plenty of peace of mind.
4. Take them to a vet – If your cat who was previously very social has become antisocial, it might be time to schedule a visit to the vet. Sometimes a medical issue could be the cause of their change in behavior. It’s better to be safe rather than sorry.