How high should a cat's hiding spot be? What a shelter study shows
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Setting a hiding spot straight on the floor looks like the simplest choice, but it isn't the one that serves a cat best. A study by Adriana Sicuto de Oliveira, César Terçariol and Gelson Genaro, published in 2015 in the journal Animals, tested horizontal and vertical refuge boxes as enrichment for cats housed in a group at a shelter (see the study). Cats entered floor-level hiding spots more often, but stayed markedly longer in ones placed 50 centimetres up — a sign that height favours a fuller rest, even if it draws less spontaneous attention on a first pass.
Contents · 5 sections
Entry frequency and resting duration measure different things
A floor-level hiding spot remains the most practical for a quick pause between two activities: it's effortlessly accessible and sits on the natural path of movement. A raised one demands an extra step — jumping or climbing — but that very effort seems to filter visits: a cat that bothers to climb up settles in properly, rather than just poking its head in between other activities. The two heights aren't competing options, then, but complementary ones.
What this changes in practice
Provide at least one low, easy-access hiding spot near a thoroughfare — under a table, in a room corner — and one raised hiding spot on a stable piece of furniture, a shelf or a cat tree, reserved for longer rest. The study's reference height, around 50 centimetres, corresponds roughly to a low windowsill, a chest of drawers or the first level of a cat tree: there's no need to reach the ceiling to get this effect. Our comparison of elevated versus floor-level cat beds by age and season explores this choice further for open beds, which complements the enclosed hiding spots covered here.
A principle that matters especially in multi-cat homes
In a home with several cats, doubling up on hiding-spot heights stops a single elevated resting spot from becoming a source of competition. A dominant cat that monopolises the only raised hiding spot leaves the others to make do with the floor, which this same study links to less restful outcomes. Our guide to choosing a cat tree covers models offering several enclosed levels rather than a single open platform.
Beyond the hiding spot: thinking about the whole route
A hiding spot stranded in the middle of an empty room stays under-used if the cat can't reach it discreetly. Position it against a wall or piece of furniture rather than centring it in open space, so it extends a natural path rather than interrupting one. Find all our benchmarks in the cat bedding and habitat section.
Frequently asked questions
Is 50 centimetres a strict rule?
No, that's simply the height tested in this particular study. The takeaway is that a modest height already lengthens resting time, without needing to aim for the highest point in the room.
Is one raised hiding spot enough for a single cat?
Yes, in most homes. For several cats, it's better to provide one per cat, spread across different rooms.
Should the raised hiding spot be fully enclosed?
Ideally yes: enclosed on at least three sides, it provides the concealment that motivates a cat to linger, rather than an open platform exposed to view.
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This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Cats universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.