Hide N' Seek

bluemilk said:

I've mentioned Robin is very playful. 1 game Daddy does NOT like is hide and seek. I'll come upstairs,NO ROBIN. I'll call him. I look all over for him,but he changes his hiding places. I'll start thinking 'Oh,where is he! has something happened to him' Finally as I start getting hysterical I'll tap his kitten-food can,or open the 'treats' cupboard That brings him out,and he was usually right under my nose. Then he wants a treat. I'm thinking, a treat?! It's not nice to make Daddy bug out!!! Why do kitties DO this?! I need something to un-jangle my nerves...

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You invited a cat into your life. Your likes and your cat's likes are not going to be the same. Your cat likes independence and cozy warm spots. You do not like your cat to hide. Your cat seeks cozy warm spots that you would consider hiding spots. Cats do that. You know how many times I've had to get the treat canister out to find my cats? If you tease your cat with the treats or food just to find him, pretty soon he's going to ingore you. He's going to catch onto you very fast.

I guess the only thing I can suggest for your nerves is to get a break away collar with an ID tag on it, put it on him and make him an indoor cat. On the off chance he does get out, he will have an ID on him. Microchipping might be a better solution. If you keep him an indoor cat and be diligent about closing the door and making sure he does not get out, you know he has to be somewhere in the house. He will eventually come out when he wants or needs something.

If I need my cats, I grab the treat jar and get them out that way. I always treat when I grab the jar/canister. My cats trust that when they hear it, they will get some "Yummies."

There's lots of places in my house for my cats to hide, so I don't panic too much if I don't see them for a while. Lately though, Callie doesn't even hide. 9 times out of 10 she's sleeping on one of the beds upstairs. She's gotten really lazy. lol. But I know when I don't see my cats for a while and I don't see them upstairs anywhere, they're probably in the crawl space in the basement. Callie also likes to sit on some kind of power box for something that my dad has downstairs. He keeps it on so it's always warm and she sits on it a lot in the winter. Puffy used to sit behind the TV sometimes. And she also liked to sit/sleep on the towels in the bottom of the bathroom closet. Callie is sometimes under one of the beds.
The only time we worry is if we've literally not seen one of them for more than a few hours.
One time I had to bring Puffy to the vet, and I think she knew something was up because I took out the carrier. Then of course when I needed to start getting her ready to go, I couldn't find her ANYWHERE. I looked in the bedrooms, in the basement, all over the living room and computer room, and I was calling her and I couldn't find her anywhere. Then when I sat down to put my shoes on, she came walking out from the living room. I have no idea where she'd been!