Under the bed, but not hiding?

Ok, so I've had my cat home for a while now.  It's going on 2 months now.  For the first few days he went under the bed often enough before he was comfortable with the house, but every time something got the better of his curiosity he wouldn't hesitate to come out and if he didn't a little coaxing got him out without any trouble, then he'd be out for a very good while.

After that introductory phase he was always out and about, and has been until about 2 weeks ago.  Now it seems like he goes under there just to have something to do.

If he isn't eating, sleeping, playing, or looking out the window it seems like he goes under there.  But it bothers me because he isn't reclusive at all nor is he scared.  He's always been friendly and personable, he is the kind of cat that would follow you around the house during your daily chores, and while he's under there he isn't postured like he's hiding.

He'll be laying there eyes relaxed, ears forward, paws tucked under, just completely at ease, but out of reach and unable to be coaxed out.

If I can reach him I am able to grab him and pull him out, he doesn't fight, and he might actually purr while I'm in contact with him.  But eventually when I put him down he'll make his way back in there.

It annoys me, because he used to relax either on my bed, on my window sill, or on a drum case I have next to my desk.  Now he has added under the bed to that list, but moved it to top priority and chooses it far more often than the others.

Every time my niece came home from school it used to be "Where's the cat?", and the answer is either "On momma's bed" or "eating" or "sleeping on the couch" or he's just in plain sight and the question answers itself.

Now every time she comes home it's "Where's the cat?" and the answer is "I don't know," I look under the bed, then "He's under my bed."

I tried making it very difficult for him.  I did have 2 under-bed storage boxes down there and a couple of loose drum stands, but since I've added several rifle cases, a rifle-rest, a box of junk from the closet, all of my drum stands in their duffel bag, a scissor style automotive jack, some tools, a backpack, and stuffed in some sizeable gaps with extra pillows I had.

Figured if it was a lot of work for him then he might not want to go under there and just stay out instead.

Nope.  I can't imagine it's very comfortable or very easy for him to get in there, but he makes it.  There is apparently a small gap on top of one of my rifle cases he can lay on, but he has to go over/around tools, the rifle-rest, and some drum stands to get there.

I can't even see him anymore except for the shine of his eyes because of the amount of junk I have completely obstructing the space under there.  Just to feed him dinner today I had to lift up the whole end of the bed and have my sister go in there and pick him up.  He ate, he cleaned himself, he looked out the window, and now he's under the bed again.

He isn't sick.  He isn't injured.  He isn't going to the bathroom under there.  He isn't hiding.  And he never used to do this before.  I don't get it.

Should I stop worrying about it and just let him be?  Should I remove everything from under the bed so it's less dark and secluded on the chance he might not like it anymore?  Should I make it physically impossible for him with boards or something?

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

Maybe he needs a vet visit.

When one of my older cats started doing this, it turned out he had some renal problems. I know when they don't feel good they will hide.

Just a thought

Hi there,

A vet visit would not be a bad idea, just to rule out a medical issue.  He is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping normally and his energy level is normal?  Would you describe him as Bright, Alert and Responsive (BAR)?

Another thought is to buy him a really nice cat condo and offer that as an alternative to the bed.  But only after a vet visit to rule out medical issues.

Stephen

StephenQ said:

He is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping normally and his energy level is normal?  Would you describe him as Bright, Alert and Responsive (BAR)?

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Yes to all of the above.

Assuming there's nothing wrong medically, it could just be a phase.  My cats have their usual sleeping spots but every now and then one of them will mix it up and find a new spot for awhile.  And one of my cats just likes it under the bed!  She'll lie on my lap or the bed or whatever but after awhile, she'll hop down ad go under the bed.  It's just her spot.

There you go.

I got up from my desk to ask my sister if she wanted anything from Wendy's, and on the way to the door there he is sitting up in the living room.

So I leave, and when I come back 5 minutes later he greets me at the door.

Now he's all full of energy, jumping up and down the dressers, "mow"ing up a storm...

So I gave him some food and he munched for a bit, and now that I am sitting down to eat he wants to play and won't let me alone.

Figures, the whole time I wanted him out to interact he was holed up under the bed, and now that it's inconvenient for me he's all in my face...  Let me eat my burger darn-it!  I don't bug you when you are eating!

Watcher-45 said:

Should I stop worrying about it and just let him be?  

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Yes. 

 Should I remove everything from under the bed so it's less dark and secluded on the chance he might not like it anymore?  Should I make it physically impossible for him with boards or something?

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No.

Explanation to follow.

If I can reach him I am able to grab him and pull him out, he doesn't fight, and he might actually purr while I'm in contact with him.  But eventually when I put him down he'll make his way back in there.

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Why would you do that? He wants to be down there. You can't, and should not, force a cat to do anything it doesn't want to. 

He isn't sick.  He isn't injured.  He isn't going to the bathroom under there.  He isn't hiding.  And he never used to do this before.  I don't get it.

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A cat has a personality just like humans do. Some are cuddly, some are timid, some like A, others like B. From what you've described, your cat has now decided that he likes being under the bed. You observe that there is nothing wrong with him. Cats do that. They go through phases. 

It sounds like you just don't like that you can't have access to him 24/7. Have you thought that maybe he just wants to be left alone for a bit? There's nothing wrong with that. My cat used to knead on me every night. Lately he decided he doesn't like that anymore, so when I go to bed he just sleeps on the couch in my bedroom instead. 

Do I feel sad? Sure, a little bit. What can I do about it? Absolutely nothing. It's what he wants, and I respect that. Maybe he'll come knead on me again in the future. Or maybe he won't. But he shows that he likes being around me in other ways. He still wakes me up in the morning for pets, his favorite spot (when he's not under my bed for his "me time") is on the couch in the living room next to where I work. I -know- he likes me. And that's okay with me.

He spends a few hours every day under my bed. He wants to be alone some hours of the day. When he's ready to socialize, he'll come outside and sit on the couch with me, or on my desk. He is not a cuddly cat, or a lap cat.

And I love him for who he is, and not what he does (or doesn't).

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All you can do is to remind him that you're a fun person to be around. When he's out and about, put treats around the drum case and the window sill. If he likes pets, pet him when he's in those places. When he's under the bed, leave him there. Don't pay attention to him. Give him his space -- it might be a phase, and soon he'll miss all the fun things about being near you.

Watcher-45 said:

 
Figures, the whole time I wanted him out to interact he was holed up under the bed, and now that it's inconvenient for me he's all in my face...  Let me eat my burger darn-it!  I don't bug you when you are eating!

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lol  Sounds like a typical cat to me.....    

Fhi09 said:

Why would you do that? He wants to be down there. You can't, and should not, force a cat to do anything it doesn't want to. 
It sounds like you just don't like that you can't have access to him 24/7. Have you thought that maybe he just wants to be left alone for a bit? There's nothing wrong with that. My cat used to knead on me every night. Lately he decided he doesn't like that anymore, so when I go to bed he just sleeps on the couch in my bedroom instead. 
 
All you can do is to remind him that you're a fun person to be around. When he's out and about, put treats around the drum case and the window sill. If he likes pets, pet him when he's in those places. When he's under the bed, leave him there. Don't pay attention to him. Give him his space -- it might be a phase, and soon he'll miss all the fun things about being near you.

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Well, the first time I pulled him out because he was in a spot I needed.  Another time he was way in the back and I could reach him from the other end, and when I touched him he was purring so I scooped him out.  And another time I just wanted to be sure he was ok because he was under there all damn day and I couldn't call him out.  And like just today, I had to feed him but he wouldn't come out so I lifted the bed and had my sister pick him up.  After we carried him into the kitchen and gave him food he was completely content to be out and about for a little while, then went back in and was under there basically until my last post on this topic.

I don't go in after him if he wants to go in there, but surely certain circumstances would require me to invade his personal space...

Maybe I don't like that I can't access him 24/7, but the fact is I don't access him 24/7.  I could see him wanting to get away if I treated him like a toy, but a lot of my time home is spent on the PC or doing other projects I have and basically ignoring him.  I play with him when he wants to and I can, which probably isn't as often as he wants or I should.  Usually he sits at my feet at the desk, or along side at either my dresser or my drum case and is content to just lie there or watch me.

He loves pets and belly rubs, and I can read him enough to know when he wants me to stop.  As far as I know I've never overstimulated him to the point where he just wanted to be left completely alone.

But the part that throws me is the fact that he was 110% social!  Even when he was only home for a few days, I had a friend over and I didn't even have to go looking for him.  My buddy barely had his coat off and Sam was there to say hi, and after the introduction and some pets he was under foot all evening.

So the fact that now, after being completely familiarized with the house and everyone in it, he is deciding to be a little reclusive is what has had me worried.

As far as treats go, he hates them!  The last owner even said don't bother with treats, but I went ahead and did.  Turned away from every one.  Then I tried amping it up.  I know I shouldn't have, but I offered him lunch meat turkey and ham and even some bacon.  Not even interested, lol.

Hopefully he just wants some time to himself like some of you suggested.  Just for my own piece of mind I dismantled some of the obstacle course that was under my bed and rearranged a bit more of it.  Now he can go straight in under without me fearing him getting stuck, but he can't go quite as deep.  I can head-check and see him straight away but he'll have some privacy none the less.

What's his name?  He's lucky to have a good home with somebody who cares about his well being so much.  

My new cat Bibby goes under the bed too, but she has refined that to getting right inside under the bed base through a couple of tears in the bedbase fabric my previous cat made while playing under there!
It was a concern at first, because I've been trying to transition her on to wet food other than tuna, & she is being resistant to change. The other day she stayed there for nearly 11 hours, not even touching her kibble. She was drawn out by the tuna I placed in a saucer by the bed (yes I gave in).
Now when she goes there I just leave her be, & she will come out when she's ready.
CATS!!

What a beautiful boy!  Does he have plenty of toys to play with? Things to climb on like a cat tree?

Plenty of toys, not really a cat tree of any kind but plenty of open furniture and he treats it all like a jungle-gym.  I've got items arranged like a staircase so he can hop up and down quickly and with ease.  He has free range of my dresser which includes a...  What do you call this thing?


I've also got my drumset in cases arranged like a climbing thing, and there's some window sills in the living room he can reach by jumping from the couch back.

I was going to build him his own tower, but I have this idea of using an old beat up drumset that I want to do and am having a hard time getting old beat up drums for cheap...

I think we can declare this......

Watcher-45 said:

I've also got my drumset in cases arranged like a climbing thing, and there's some window sills in the living room he can reach by jumping from the couch back.

I was going to build him his own tower, but I have this idea of using an old beat up drumset that I want to do and am having a hard time getting old beat up drums for cheap...

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oh that's great