You’ve purchased a dozen or more toys for your cat over the years but where are they now? What are the reasons why do cats hide their toys? Are you even a bit stumped by the whole thing I mean where exactly are the toys? If you’re a bit confused as to where certain play items have gone your cat probably has a stash, that you just don’t know about. And while this isn’t the case with every cat certainly but some cats love to hide their toys.
If you are a novice owner and it’s difficult for you to understand your cat’s behavior or why your cat performs certain actions? Then don’t worry this situation is faced by every cat owner and after some time you are pro in this field what your cat wants.
Let’s come to the topic of why do cats hide their toys? And understand cat behavior.
About: Why Do Cats Hide Their Toys?
This type of behavior is born in the wild from those hunting and survival days. The days of living off the land perhaps the days of motherhood. It’s instinctual, even for a spoiled house cat.
If your cat loves to hide its toys this is typically being done for at least one of three possible reasons and perhaps all three working at different times.
3 Reasons Why Do Cats Hide Their Toys?
1. Hunting Reason
Let’s start with the hunt. The toy is taking the place of the kill. It’s not uncommon for cats in the wild to kill and then take their prize to a covered and sheltered location.
This serves two purposes
- It allows the cat to eat the meal later.
- The meal is sheltered and perhaps scent altered. Just in case another animal arrives on the scene.
The toy is the kill. If your cat hides a toy this is done for protection. Saving the toy for later. Similar to how a cat in the wild might save and shelter a meal?
Now, you understand why cat steals and hide things
2. Motherhood Character
In the same way that a mama cat will relocate her kittens for a plethora of reasons. Some cats will move their toys from place to place to hide out as a means of protection. This is not unlike the first example of mealtime storage and protection.
If your cat is moving toys to safety let’s say this is almost like a form of hoarding, instead of playing with the toys your cat wants to collect them.
3. Garbage / Not Interested
Straight trash as the cool kids like to say. Sometimes toys are hidden because your cat is unable to actually take out the trash.
The toys have been discarded and placed in every nook and cranny in your home. Toys that are just so foul they do not deserve to be found at least in the eyes of your pet.
Do Cats Gets Attached To Toys?
It’s a big Yes! Your cat also have a favorite place, they are like children and are very much close with their toys. Cats are also busy in their own world and with the help of toys or we can say toys help the cat to fill the gap between the world and them.
Remember, next time when you touch your cat toy first take permission and ask “Should I borrow this?” If your cat loves you it will give you. “Jokes apart”
Where Do Cats Usually Hide Things?
Cats are very secretive and they find a place where nobody reaches. Behind the couch, bottoms of closets, behind the fridge are very common place. But it depends on your cat where it finds suitable for hiding or where nobody finds their things.
Why Do Cats Leave Their Toys In Shoes?
Hunting is very common in cats. In the wild, after hunting cats usually hide it’s prey. When a cat hides toy in your shoes it seems for him hiding a prey. Well, it’s a cat game and cats find a peace after doing this because it’s hereditary. Now, you are familiar with reasons “Why Do Cats Hide Their Toys?
As we discuss above about the motherhood character of a cat, they do it because the mother cat never preserves things for himself only.
Your shoes carry your scent and your cat thinks it’s a safe place to hide things because your scent also gives them safety.
Conclusion
Here again, not all house cats engage in this type of behavior. Some cats have a variety of toys that are on full display each and every day, nothing to hide here they’re all out in front and front and center however some cats play and protect and store, play and relocate and play and discard.
So much of this trio boils down to looking for the very next best thing. Cats are like children. I’ve only said that about a thousand times here on this Catsbin but it is so very true.
Example: Birthdays, Christmas any type of gift-giving holiday the child gets a toy and it’s the best thing since peanut butter until 24 hours have passed and then it’s on to the next thrill.
If you’ve owned a cat for more than 30 minutes you know this to be true. Felines are always on the lookout for the next attention-getter. Play with a toy, store it, trash it, move on to the next best thing.
We just saying don’t be shocked at the next time you move your sofa or slide out your refrigerator just a bit.
Final Words
You might find a toy from yesteryear your cat’s secret stash revealed. So what say you? Is your cat a professional when it comes to hiding toys? Are experts just baffled by your cat’s expertise? Did you know cats also hide it’s sickness well, we have already discuss on it.
If your pet engages in a hoarding technique or the discard method please let me know. Also, if you found a cat toy in a rather strange location. I’d certainly love to read that story. Cat toys in the cookie jar well, that sounds like the name of a comedy film from the 1980s. Anyway, the comments section as always is all yours.