Why does my cat always stay hidden?

by Caroline Crevier-Chabot

Does your cat spend their time in the wardrobe or underneath the sofa and hisses at you when you bring them food? It’s not because you’re a bad human, it’s just that your cat as not yet understood that you actually want to be their friend.

From their perspective, when you brought them home, you kidnapped them. This wasn’t your intention, but we can’t control the perception that others have of us in a given situation. Your cat considers that they have been taken and placed captive in the house where you live. They don’t yet know the house well and it’s therefore an environment that they consider as potentially hostile. They do not know your intentions and don’t yet see what reasons they might have to trust you.

What we should NOT do

When another living being is scared of us, the last thing to do is to force them to interact with us near.

The videos below illustrate the cat’s perception when you (the monster) try to interact in ways that are inappropriate.

Why we don’t pull a cat from under the bed:

Why we don’t touch a cat while they’re eating:

Why we don’t force our presence on a cat in a tight space.

You’ve already done these things? Don’t panic. You didn’t know any better and we can only do what we know in the moment. From now on, you know that we can do better and that’s what’s important. You’re starting a new way of interacting with your cat.

How do we become friends with someone?

Friends are people that:

• Are polite to us;
• Share their fries or their chocolate box with us;
• Help us when we’re having difficulty;
• Are good teammates during play;
• , etc.

How does that translate to your cat?

• Use your own body language to make yourself less threatening,
• Learn and listen to their body language,
• Offer them good treats without forcing them to come close to you or to touch you;
• Give them control over your proximity,
• Play with them at a distance using wand toys,
• Consider taking advantage of modern pharmacology to help their brain better optimize the release and recapture of neurotransmitters,
• , etc.

This might seem simple, but I could write 40 pages of text about each of these items! So before you say « It doesn’t work. », come get help because there are dozens of nuances and particularities to consider.

You can absolutely transform your cat-that-hides into a cat that will WANT to interact with you. We’re here to guide you through this adventure when you’ll be ready.

To book an appointment, click here.