Your sitter arrives, and your cat vanishes. No sign of them for hours. If nobody warned the sitter this was likely, this is the moment panic sets in — for the sitter, and then for you, three time zones away with a worried text.
The short answer
For most cats, disappearing when a stranger arrives is completely normal and not a sign anything's wrong. What matters is what happens after: whether they come out for food, and whether the hiding goes on far longer than usual.
Why cats hide from new people
Hiding is a cat's default response to anything unfamiliar — new person, new smell, a break in routine. It's not necessarily fear in the way we'd think of it; it's a cat managing an unfamiliar situation on its own terms, in a spot it's chosen because it feels safe there.
What's normal
- Not being seen for the first few hours of a visit, sometimes longer
- Coming out to eat once the sitter's gone quiet or left the room
- Being seen once, then disappearing again
- Warming up gradually over the first day or two of a multi-day stay
What's worth mentioning to you or a vet
- No sign of eating, drinking, or using the litter tray for over 24 hours
- Hiding that continues well past your cat's normal settling-in time, with no improvement
- Signs of distress if the sitter can get eyes on them — laboured breathing, obvious pain, not moving normally
The general guidance from vets and cat behaviourists is consistent on this: food and litter tray use are the two things to actually track, because a cat that's eating and toileting normally is very likely just being a cat, even if nobody's laid eyes on them since Tuesday.
What helps a sitter find out without stressing your cat further
- Knowing your cat's usual hiding spots in advance, so the sitter knows where to check without turning it into a search
- Coming in the same way you usually would (same door, same routine) rather than a route your cat's never associated with you
- Leaving food out and checking it's being eaten, rather than trying to coax a hiding cat into the open
- Not closing doors your cat would normally have access to, so they don't get shut in somewhere unexpected
What to tell your sitter before you go
Say plainly: "if you don't see her for a day, that's normal — check the food and litter tray, and only worry if neither's being used." That one sentence prevents most of the anxious check-ins you'd otherwise get.
Quirks & All keeps this kind of thing on your pet's profile alongside the practical details, so a sitter isn't left wondering whether what they're seeing is normal or worth a call.
Sources referenced for accuracy: veterinary and feline behaviour guidance on hiding as a stress response, and professional pet-sitter advice on managing shy cats during a stay. Worth a check against your own vet's advice before publishing, since this isn't medical guidance.