Hospitalized cats before surgery: a hiding box lowers stress, a towel over the cage does not
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
In many practices, a cat waiting for surgery is given either a cardboard box or a towel draped over the front of the cage — both are treated as roughly equivalent, a simple way to offer a spot away from prying eyes. A study published in 2018 by Charlie Wright and Stephen Baugh in The Veterinary Nurse tested the two side by side instead of assuming they were interchangeable (see the study, doi 10.12968/vetn.2018.9.6.328). Our other guidance is gathered in the cat bedding and habitat section.
Contents · 5 sections
Three groups, one morning of waiting
Forty-two owned cats admitted for routine neutering were split into three groups: a closed hiding box, a towel partially covering the front of the cage, or no accessory at all. During the sixty minutes before the procedure, the researchers recorded Kessler and Turner's Cat Stress Score, the cat's position within the cage, active hide-seeking behaviour, and actual use of whichever accessory was provided.
Only one of the two options lowers the measured stress score
The result splits two gestures usually treated as equivalent. The stress score of cats with a box was significantly lower than the control group's (p = 0.007). The score for cats with a towel did not differ significantly from control (p = 0.069) — close to the threshold, but not enough to conclude a real effect. Usage confirms the functional gap: cats with a box used it 68% of the available time, against just 30% for those given a towel.
What the study does not let you conclude
The trial was run at a single practice, over a short window — the pre-medication wait, not the full hospital stay or post-operative recovery. No cortisol assay was run: the findings rest on a behavioural score, not a physiological marker. The study also says nothing about the ideal box size or material, nor about what happens beyond an hour of waiting.
What this changes in practice
The gesture that matters is not blocking the view but offering a fully enclosed space the cat can retreat into — a towel draped in front of the bars still leaves the cat visible and exposed from the sides, a genuine box does not. The same principle applies outside the clinic: a closed box inside the travel carrier, or in the welcome room of a new home, does a job that a piece of fabric left nearby does not. Our article on hiding boxes in single housing details a similar mechanism in cats housed alone, and our guide to the travel carrier explains how to apply the same principle to the journey itself.
Frequently asked questions
Is a balled-up towel inside the cage enough?
The study does not test that exact setup, only a towel draped over the opening. The principle it points to — an enclosed space rather than a piece of fabric — favours an actual hiding box over fabric simply left in the space.
Should you bring your cat's own hiding box to the clinic?
The study does not compare a personal box against one supplied on site, but a familiar scent can only help. Many practices allow a cat to keep its own open carrier as shelter during the wait, in any case. Find all our guides on the cat hub.
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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.
