Pets are a wonder — they never stop brightening up our days with their hilarious shenanigans and weird little quirks. After all, looking at them jumping, pouncing, and getting us just as excited for the day as they are is a source of entertainment right there.
However, sometimes our beloved goofballs feel this overwhelming urge to crouch behind furniture, run underneath the bed, or bury their heads in the couch. Especially when they’ve done something mischievous. But while some of them are true masters of camouflage, others hilariously try to go unnoticed and fail in the best possible way.
Today, we bring you a list full of amusing pictures of our beloved four-legged friends who are so terrible at playing hide-and-seek, their owners just had to take a brief pause from laughing, snap a photo, and share it with everyone online. So continue scrolling, upvote the ones that made you smile, and make sure to check out Part 1 of this post right here!
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I Got You, Fren
Hashbrown Hasnβt Completely Figured Out Hiding Yet
Hiding In Plain Sight
The concept of hide-and-seek is uncomplicated to us humans — one hides, the other seeks. But our pets seem to have their own idea of what going under the radar actually means. Whether they get scared, chew on something they're not supposed to, or simply want to act all goofy, our companions are drawn to the cozy confines of private spaces. But the truth is, we can often see them in plain sight.
To find out more about this peculiar urge to hide and what we should do about it, we reached out to Kate Mornement, Ph.D., who goes by the handle @petbehaviourist on Instagram. Being a qualified animal behaviorist and founder of the consultancy Pets Behaving Badly, she strives to help people better understand these charming creatures living under their care.
She told Bored Panda that animals usually hide because they're afraid. "When pets hide, they're telling us they're scared or need space. Things that often cause pets to hide include loud noises, unfamiliar people or animals, and things they associate with unpleasant experiences, such as the cat carrier coming out before a vet visit."
Found A Loose Seal In My Bathroom
Thereβs Nowhere To Hide At The Vetβs Office
Aww, kittyβs scared :) we fill up our catβs carrier with his ball and extra pillows on checkups so heβs comfy.
He Got In Trouble For Barking (We Live In An Apartment) So He Threw A Tantrum And Went To Hide Under The Fridge
Kate explained that some sneaky critters also try to go unnoticed when they have an object they shouldn't have. "They hide because they've learned that that delays or prevents the item being taken away," she added.
It seems this behavior is based on their natural instinct to escape potential danger. "It's part of the 'fight, flight or freeze response' which is a survival instinct," Kate told us. "Hiding when you're eating food is also a survival instinct. If you eat alone, you consume more compared to eating with others competing for the same food."
Hiding From The Vet
My Friend's Dog Is Terrible At Hide And Seek
My Kitten Likes To "Hide" In This Jar, And Her Brother Is Confused
Pets move around in their surroundings using impressive senses of smell, sound, and vision. But as you scroll through this list, it can be quite surprising to see how many pets are simply terrible at the art of stealth. Even cats, the most celebrated hiders out there, seem to hilariously fail sometimes. Though they're trying their best, and we love them for it.
My White Cat Attempting To Hide So I Canβt Clip His Nails
I Finally Figured Out Where Tank The Cat Has Been Hiding. I Only Saw Him Because A Bird Chirped On TV And He Stuck His Head Up Slightly. Who Sees Him?
My Big Boy Likes To βHideβ When Itβs Time To Leave The Park
When asked why some of our four-legged friends can't seem to find a well-concealed hiding spot, Kate noted it’s probably because they don't understand the concept of the game.
"I think we misinterpret a lot of our pets' behavior in general, so it's important to learn how to read your pet's body language to ensure you understand them and can help them overcome any fears they may have," she continued.
Still, happy pet owners enjoy taking pictures of and genuinely laughing at these funny failures: "Sometimes our pets do goofy things that make us laugh. Sharing these moments with others who can relate makes us feel good."
I Wonder Where My Cat Is Hiding
You Can't See Me
Master Of Disguise
The good news is that you can indeed help your pet stop spending so much time hiding under or behind objects. "Training pets not to hide under things involves helping them be comfortable with the situation that causes them to hide," the animal behaviorist explained.
"For example, if your pet hides when visitors arrive, teach your pet that visitors predict good things by having the visitor throw your pet their favorite treats. Also, ask visitors not to approach your pet or try to interact until your pet initiates interaction. This will help alleviate their fear over time," she added.
So if you ever want to try out hide-and-seek with your beloved companion, Kate said that playing games with pets is a fun way to bond with them. "Just make sure that your pet is also enjoying the game!"
Found This Little Guy Today. He Felt Safe Hiding In My Girlfriend's Hair
All Time Hide And Seek Winner
They Both Chose The Same βHidingβ Place At The Vet
Google Reminded Me Of How My Dog Used To Hide In The Couch
I'll Just Hide In Here, So No One Can See Me
Trip To The Vet. She Thinks We Canβt See Her
My Cat Truly Thinks Heβs Successfully Hiding From Me
I'm A Shelter Photographer And This Kitten Was Not A Big Fan Of My Camera. This Was Her Idea Of "Hiding"
This Cat Thinks She Is Hiding And Canβt Be Seen
Favorite Hiding Spot
My Cat And His Incredible Hiding Skills
Hiding After Being Fussed At
Velma Thinks We Can't See Her Behind The Curtain
Lol This looks like it could be a Brutus and Pixie scene
Worst Hide And Seek Player Of All Time
Stealth Doggo
She Did Her Best To Hide
This Is My Momβs Cat. I Think Sheβs Beautiful. She Hides From Birds
Nothing To See Here
When Lola Is Tired Of Playing She Hides From Our Other Dog So She Can Get Some Rest. This Is Her Hiding
Simba Doesn't Quite Get Hide And Seek Yet
His Favorite Hiding Spot
My Catβs Attempt At Hiding From The Vet
"Ahem" I love - common domesticated shorthair brown mackerel tabby cats. They are the most common of cat, and I L O V E them
Absolutely Unexpected Trap
Hide And Not Too Much Seek
We Brought Home A Cat. He's A Little Scared, So He's "Hiding"
Watching Our Guests Sneakily
My Husband Took Our Cat To The Vet Today
You would think by now the vet would have a place setup for them to hide in on the exam table. So when it's time they can just remove the hiding place.
That Feeling When Youβve Found The Perfect Hiding Space. Nobody Will Find Me Here
A Master Of Stealth
Maybe If I Hide Here, She Wonβt See Me
He Doesn't Know We Can See Him
Knew My Cats Were Plotting To Kill Me, Ninja Hiding On My Way To The Bathroom
This Is Snacks. This Is Where Snacks Hides When She Gets Yelled At
My Huge Senior Dog Is Afraid Of Fireworks, And It Is Well Known That The Shower (Where He Clearly Doesn't Fit) Is The Safest Place To Hide From Them
He Meows Really Loud And Then He Goes And Hides Here For 20 Mins. He Thinks Heβs Hidden
Note: this post originally had 130 images. Itβs been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
What is this? I expected to see cute animals, but there is mostly furniture? Where are the pets??
Yeah! This is clickbait. Downvote this post!
I know, right? What a waste of time.
Lol
What surprised me is that hiding skills seem to be genetic. One of my cats was born without eyes so he doesn't know the concept of seeing and still he knows how to hide. Fascinating.
Wow. Details, please, Janine. That's fascinating! How did he learn how to do things? Poor little guy. I bet he does well for himself tho.
Here you can see the flowerbed he chose to hide. He also loves climbing that little tree. https://youtube.com/shorts/WCNTuGmRKh0?feature=share
He's very clever and full of mischief. He always knew how to hide. We live in an apartment and have a very small garden downstairs. He loves being outside so when it's time to go inside he throws himself to the ground and screams like a toddler. π Once he hid between a bunch of flowers and I just couldn't find him. I called, I shook the bag with his favorite treats (which usually works) - nothing happened. I got scared he somehow managed to escape (the garden is cat-proof though) but after a couple of minutes I saw a tiny piece of his pink nose just between some green leaves. That little rascal just remained silent and hid from me so he hadn't have to go upstairs. π
That is amazing. I hope he has a FB page . It's an uplifting, happy story. "..screams like a toddler" ... yep, got a cat that does that , too. Like nails on a blackboard. :)
πππ It's really like having a kid around. No he doesn't have his own page, I'm sure fame would make him even more obnoxious. ππ
H'es a cat - they have no limits. You'd only "up" the level I bet :) Thanks for taking such good care of him. You and he are special!
What do you mean by born without eyes? Like itβs just a socket where the eyes would be?
Sometimes there is a congenital deformity where the eyes donβt form properly during gestation. Usually there are empty sockets (that are covered in a layer of skin and fur, not βeyelidsβ though) since skull/bone development usually occurs even if eye development does not.