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 Hasn’t 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
There’s Nowhere To Hide At The Vet’s Office
Aww, kitty’s scared :) we fill up our cat’s carrier with his ball and extra pillows on checkups so he’s 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 Can’t 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 “Hide” When It’s 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 “Hiding” 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 Can’t See Her
My Cat Truly Thinks He’s 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 Can’t 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 Mom’s Cat. I Think She’s 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 Cat’s 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 You’ve Found The Perfect Hiding Space. Nobody Will Find Me Here
A Master Of Stealth
Maybe If I Hide Here, She Won’t 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 He’s Hidden
Classroom Bunny Oscar Thinks He Can Hide Because He Is Shaped Like A Microscope
Little Kitten Hiding In The Bushes
She Thinks She's Hiding
Hiding In Plain Light
They Are Playing Hide And Seek
My Parents' Dog Isn’t Sure What To Make Of My Place, So He’s Hiding In The Bushes Till He Figures It Out
Parents were evacuated from the Cali fires, so they’re staying with me for the time being.
How Do I Tell My Cat That She’s Not Doing A Great Job At Hiding?
No One Can Tell I'm Hiding On The Stairs
It's Extremely Hot Where We Live, So He's Been Trying To Hide From The Heat And Fell Asleep Just Like That
Turn on the A/C! Even though cats are little heat seekers, they can get overheated and would love to sit in front of the A/C. We have several weeks in summer that can be brutal, so I know this from experience.
Well, This Is A New Hiding Spot I Was Previously Unaware Of
Perfect Hiding Place From Vet. She Will Never Find Me
There Was An Attempt
My Puppy Is 99% Sure He Is Hiding Fully
He knows that chewing up the cardboard wrapping paper tubes is a big no-no, so he’s hiding until he figures out how to pin it on someone else.
We’ve Let Kiki Have Free Rein Of The Downstairs At Night Time Now. 7 Am Is Breakfast Time, 7:30 Am And Still No Sign Of Kiki. Must’ve Walked Past Her Several Times
Our Puppy "Hides" From Us When He Breaks A Rule
She Bit Me And I Yelled At Her. Now She's Ashamed And "Hiding"
He Gets Nervous And Hides When New People Come Over. He Always Thinks We Can't See Him. I Will Never Let Him Think Otherwise
Two of my cats are fully certified Fraidy Cats, and turn into lumps in the bed when strangers are in the house. The other cat, and the dog, are the Welcome Wagon.
"I've Mastered The Art Of Standing So Incredibly Still That I Become Invisible To The Naked Eye"
She Knows She Is Not Allowed On The Bed She Is Doing Her Best To Hide
We Moved Out All The Furniture, And Now There's No Place For Her To Hide
Aww, poor thing. Moving is incredibly stressful for pets, it's best to send them somewhere else for the day.
Hide And Seek
I love shepherd pups when they can't quite handle their own ears yet. Cuteness overload.
“No One Can See Me If I Hide Under This Cord.” - My Cat, Probably
I Has Camouflage
Where's Jackson? Bless His Heart. I Love This Old Guy
Playing Hide And Seek
Mum, I’m Watching You
OMG….so so sweet, look at that little eye just waiting to be found❤️
She Thinks She Is Hiding
Oliver Hiding From The Vet
I’m Mylo The Hide And Seek Master, No One Is Gonna Find Me Here
Huh, Why Do I Feel Like Someone Is Staring?
Ninja, Hiding From His Sister Under Bubble Wrap Like The Stealthy Ninja He Is
I going to have to put some bubble wrap down and see if my cats enjoy popping the bubbles as much as most humans do.
Moop Is Hiding
Just Some Packets Of Dog Food, Nothing To See Here
So We Went Out On A Walk. And When She Is Dirty After A Walk, She Has To Get A Shower. She Is Not A Huge Fan Of It. So While I Prepared The Shower She Decided To Hide
She Loves Hiding In Plain Sight In The Plants. I Didn’t Rescue Her, She Rescued Me
It's Hard To Tell But Yes, My Dog Is Hiding Somewhere In This Photo
He's Not Very Good At Hide And Seek
Winston Thinks We Can't See Him
Well, white paper, white door, beige carpet, white cat. I can see Winston’s logic.
Playing Hide And Seek. If I Can’t See You, You Can’t See Me
A Real Sneaky Boi Hiding Under The Mat
He Was Just Here A Second Ago, I Wonder Where He Went
Good Girl Goes Ghost
Korra Hiding After She Misbehaved
Found My Little Buddy Hiding In A Fast Food Bag
Trying To Hide From The Scary Vacuum
When Your Dog Plays Hide And Seek
The Moment I Noticed That I Was Found
Did You Miss Me
Lil Pupper Just Learned To Hide In The Couch
He Thinks He's Hiding
My Mom's Cat Tries To Hide In The Flowers But Her Coat Is Not Camouflaged
My Maine Coon Playing Hide And Seek
Hiding Before Bedtime And The Hunt For The Perfect Sleep Spot
"If The Vet Can't See Me She Can't Give Me A Shot, Right Mom?" - Daphne
Where'd He Go?
Found A Great Hiding Spot
Piper Isn’t Very Good At Hiding
I'm Playing Hide And Seek, Great
Another one where, if the drapes were a couple inches longer, they would’ve nailed it.
My Little Genius In Hiding
Jack's Strategy At The Vet: If I Can't See You You Can't See Me
Hercules, Time To Go To Your Room. "He Can't See Me, He Can't See Me"
We Don't Talk About Willie. Oh No No
And The Winner Of Hide And Seek Is
Hide And Seek World Champion 2022
Yeah, I Knew It Was Too Hard For You To Find Me. Here I Am
If the drapes were a couple inches longer, you’d have nailed it.
This Hiding Spot Works Better In Our Living Room Where We Have Opaque Curtains
Or in the dark. Actually, a void doesn’t need t9 hide behind anything in the dark.
Carrot Thinks He's Hiding
She Hides Here A Lot. She Thinks We Can't See Her
I Don’t Want To Brag But I Have A Good Place To Hide Here
You Can't See Me
Close. Oh so close. Just forgot to add that tail into the equation.
After Finding A Destroyed Dish Towel In The Kitchen, I Found Him Trying To Hide Under His Invisibility Cloak
This is how I know which one of my dogs misbehaved. The minute I notice there's something of one of them will run and hide in the bathroom the other will excitedly greet me. Guilty party can be found hiding in the towels in the bathroom lol
Merlins Technique To Hide From The Vacuum
"If I Sits Very Still The Hooman Can't Sees Me"
She's "Hiding" In The Towels
She Doesn’t Like The Vet So She’s Hiding. They’ll Never Find Her
Lost This Game Of Hide And Seek
I Don’t Think Ma Will Find Me Here
You Can't Make Me Go To The Vet
Hide And Seek Champion
What is this? I expected to see cute animals, but there is mostly furniture? Where are the pets??
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.
Load More Replies...When I first got my cat he was super shy and very nervous. I had a box in the living room where if he got in, I never touched him - like a safe base. Years on, he is confident and cuddly, but I keep his box in the living room because sometimes he just likes it. He loves to hide for fun - but if he has been naughty he ignores all the hiding places and jumps in his box. It's so funny - it's the most obvious place to be, but we still leave him alone like he is invisible. Pain when he jumps in if he sees vet carrier - but rules are rules and I still pretend I can't see him. Shake treat bag in next room and hope.
When we went camping, my dog used to hide in the tent when he saw us breaking up camp. He did not want to go home. Once he jumped out of the window as we were driving off and he headed to the creek. I miss that crazy boy.
Seem like a common theme here: cats are afraid of the vet and they hide in the sink!
It’s funny - for my older cat, the carrier is the conveyance of Satan and she will scream every second she is in there. Then when we get into the vet exam room and I take her OUT of the carrier, it’s suddenly her sanctuary and she will fling herself back into it XD
Load More Replies...When my cats go to the vet they always hide behind me on the seat. It’s the only effective hiding place in the room.
My late fiance's dog would just turn around ... logic was, if he didn't see you, you couldn't see him ...
Ah, those were so cute. My hasn't hidden from me in 11 years. Sad, it'd be fun to look for him.
What is this? I expected to see cute animals, but there is mostly furniture? Where are the pets??
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.
Load More Replies...When I first got my cat he was super shy and very nervous. I had a box in the living room where if he got in, I never touched him - like a safe base. Years on, he is confident and cuddly, but I keep his box in the living room because sometimes he just likes it. He loves to hide for fun - but if he has been naughty he ignores all the hiding places and jumps in his box. It's so funny - it's the most obvious place to be, but we still leave him alone like he is invisible. Pain when he jumps in if he sees vet carrier - but rules are rules and I still pretend I can't see him. Shake treat bag in next room and hope.
When we went camping, my dog used to hide in the tent when he saw us breaking up camp. He did not want to go home. Once he jumped out of the window as we were driving off and he headed to the creek. I miss that crazy boy.
Seem like a common theme here: cats are afraid of the vet and they hide in the sink!
It’s funny - for my older cat, the carrier is the conveyance of Satan and she will scream every second she is in there. Then when we get into the vet exam room and I take her OUT of the carrier, it’s suddenly her sanctuary and she will fling herself back into it XD
Load More Replies...When my cats go to the vet they always hide behind me on the seat. It’s the only effective hiding place in the room.
My late fiance's dog would just turn around ... logic was, if he didn't see you, you couldn't see him ...
Ah, those were so cute. My hasn't hidden from me in 11 years. Sad, it'd be fun to look for him.