If you’ve purchased one of our highly popular play tunnels, the Hide and Sneak, you might have seen a seemingly strange behavior from your feline friends. Instead of hiding or playing, kitty hops on top of the tunnel and it collapses beneath his weight. Cat parents tell us about it all the time.
But if you're worried that your kitty is disinterested in the new toy, it’s actually the opposite. Your cat is actually playing his own fun game with the toy, just because he can. Cats who like to crush their Hide and Sneak might be showing off or simply “knocking over sandcastles.”
You’ll remember from my recent blog on hunting that all cats have different preferences for playtime, which align their hunting instincts. For that reason, cats will all play with their Hide and Sneak just a bit differently. Many cats will use a play tent or play tunnel as a place to hide, hunt, stalk, and pounce. Some might need a little encouragement, like a wiggly toy or some Cloud Nine silver vine placed inside. Some cats like to chew on the paper, ripping and tearing at it like prey. It satisfies an important desire many cats have. Still, others will hide their “prey” inside, hoarding toys and treasured items from around your home. All of this is perfectly normal for kitties to do.
But some cats, like Abby — a bossy calico from Georgia —like to remind their housemates that they’re in charge, and to prove it, they’ll declare themselves “King of the Mountain” by crushing the play tunnel or sitting on a favorite toy.
The good news is, this is still perfectly normal behavior. It’s similar to children who like to build towers of blocks just to smash them or knock their creation to the ground. Cats who “crush” might simply be exhibiting their own form of play and exploration, or they could be making a show of dominance. Either way, the only “bad” news is you’ll have to occasionally fluff your Hide and Sneak for cats who want to use the tunnel in the more traditional way.
For more tips on how to supercharge your kitty’s playtime, check out one of our earlier posts for ways to enhance the Hide and Sneak experience. And our next blog, later this month, will discuss what not to do when playing with your cat.
But what about you? What are your cats’ favorite ways to use our Hide and Sneak?
The first thing I thought of when watching your video here is “dominance behavior”. By jumping onto the Hide and Sneak this way, the tuxedo kitten has taken over the entire toy. What a fun video to watch!
My cats have really enjoyed jumping on the Hide and Sneak and crushing it. I’m really impressed with how durable the paper is! When I pick the tunnel up, I can see little pinpricks of light coming through, where someone has bitten it. It’s hilarious! The tunnel is easy to open up after the cats have crushed it.
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