Hiding behavior in cats is a primary stress indicator, and provision of safe hiding spaces is a fundamental welfare need validated by research on feline stress physiology.
The science of feline hiding behavior has transformed shelter medicine and companion cat welfare practice. The provision of a simple hiding box to a stressed shelter cat is one of the most welfare-effective and cost-efficient interventions in animal care — reducing cortisol, suppressing stress-illness, and shortening shelter stays. At home, a cat who hides consistently is not being antisocial — it is communicating that something in the environment exceeds its coping threshold. Welfare-centered responses provide more hiding options, investigate potential stressors, and resist the impulse to force interaction that compounds rather than resolves stress.