Cat hiding and healing: Ursula finds her own apartment

Is cat hiding and healing a thing? Elegant Ursula hid for three days and emerged looking like her healthy old self. Or rather, her healthy middle-aged self.

Ursula is almost seven years old. That’s middle age for a British shorthair. Anyway, she wasn’t well, went to the vet, and was on a special diet with a side of steroids.

Then once, twice, thrice she disappeared. Inside my apartment. We (my sharp eyed daughter and I) looked and looked and looked and then we searched, again and again. After her first night AWOL, she reappeared at 10 am, bounced upstairs to where were were having a gloomy cup of tea. Bounced up as if nothing had happened. Where had she been hiding? Same thing happened another day.

But her third absence lasted three days. No sign of eating, nor the slightest dampening of her litter box. I deduced that by some freakish accident or Machiavellian cunning she had got herself outside without alerting me.

With a heavy heart I made flyers and posted them in mailboxes up and down the street. Came inside. And out of the pot cupboard emerged a little brown cat, perkier and shinier than before. Such timing! Sure enough there was a hole carved in the back wall of the cupboard. Plumbers have to do that sometimes. And it was now blindingly obvious.

Why do cats hide away?

Had Ursula been retreating for three days — or adventuring? Had she just been taking the traditional cat cure, curled up in the dark for three days, hiding her discomfort in private? Or was this her midlife reckoning, when she figured she was old enough to leave home and move into her own apartment?

Or had she just lost her way? After all, an old ditty says, “The cat’s in the cupboard and she can’t see me.”

I can’t say she moved out because she moved further into my apartment. Whatever, I think she is over her food sensitivity. She’s looking much better.

With typical insensitivity I sealed the door to her secret apartment and washed the pots. It can always be opened again… but no. (You know what I’m thinking.) She has other places to hide that wouldn’t involve removing all the kitchen joinery.

Do old humans hide away to heal?

It’s certainly not my style. I flaunt my age-related ailments and procedures. I have worked hard for them all. I believe a stiff upper lip is an ailment in itself and does more harm than good.

I’m afraid Ursula may skite about her adventure in future postings as a self-styled social media influencer. So I’m getting in first. With the truth.

Hiding behavior in cats

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