How To Get a Cat Out From Under the Bed?

How To Get a Cat Out From Under the Bed

Does your cat run under the bed frequently? It’s common for cats to hide away in a corner as an initial response to fear to assess the situation. Thankfully, there are a few approaches you can take when your cat sneaks under the bed and refuses to come out.

Here’s how to get a cat out from under the bed:

  1. Ignore the cat and walk away for a while.
  2. Reduce the noise around the house.
  3. Use a pheromone spray.
  4. Call the cat by name.
  5. Offer treats and cat food.
  6. Set toys around the bed.
  7. Turn on noisy appliances to scare the cat into coming out.
  8. Get a long broom and gently push the cat out.
  9. Move the bed.

The rest of the article will cover the tips above in more detail. We’ll also look at how to keep your cat from dashing under the bed every time.

1. Ignore the Cat and Walk Away for a While

Cats hide under the bed when they are stressed or scared.

If your cat is under the bed and refusing to come out, the best approach to use sometimes is to do nothing. A cat trying to acclimate to his new home will need more time to feel more secure. If he’s not been under the bed for too long, no need to rush the process.

Leave the room, and the cat will likely follow you after a few minutes. It’s also a good idea to close the door behind you to give the cat the sense of territory inside the room if it’s still new to your home. A space too large can leave them feeling overwhelmed.

However, once they’ve “conquered” a room, they’ll be less likely to hide away, moving on to explore other parts of your home.

2. Reduce the Noise Around the Room

Loud noises are alarming to cats. If your cat is hiding under the bed because it’s feeling nervous and overwhelmed, you can get him to relax by making a conscious effort to keep the noise down.

Keep your talking voices down, and keep the children and other pets away from the room until the cat is comfortable enough to come out from under the bed.

3. Use a Pheromone Spray

You can get your anxious cat to come out from under the bed by using a calming pheromone spray. Use it on corners of the room, and the cat will likely seek it out.

Alternatively, you can spritz some onto a towel and put the treated towel near the cat’s box or bed. The towel and box approach will help the cat move from relaxing under the bed to staying in his box.

Top options for calming pheromone spray include the following from Amazon.com:

  • Comfort Zone Calming Diffuser Kit: Using this product in the room once can keep your cat calm for weeks. The kit supplied will last for 60 days.
  • FELIWAY Classic Calming Diffuser Refill: If you already have a diffuser, you can get the classic Feliway calming product for cats. The Feliway brand is highly rated in this niche, so you’re certain of getting a product that will work. The supplied refill can last four weeks.
  • Relaxivet Calming Pheromone Diffuser Kit: The product works like others in this niche. It’s a diffuser-and-refill combo, so it’s useful for people who don’t have diffusers already.

These products have proven helpful to many cat owners. If you’d like more insight on why they work, PetMD has you covered.

4. Call the Cat by Name

If your cat isn’t new to your home, and you can’t pinpoint any reasons for it to feel anxiety or stress, calling him out can work.How To Get a Cat Out From Under the Bed

The approach works best if the cat already associates the call with food or treats. If you always call him in a certain way before feeding or grooming, repeat the process when he’s hiding and wait.

5. Offer Treats and Cat Food

You can trick a cat under the bed to come out with food and treats. In some cases, simply tapping the food can lightly or squeezing the treat bag will have the cat walking out towards the sound source.

If the sound wasn’t enough to lure him out, pour out the food away from the bed and wait in a corner quietly for it to come out and grab a bite.

The treats and food approach also works for cats that are yet to get comfortable in your home. The process will help them get more comfortable over time, as long as you don’t interfere with the feeding process.

If the cat ignores standard cat food and treats, you can switch to more tempting delicacies like:

  • Roasted chicken
  • Tuna
  • Finely chopped meats

6. Set Toys Around the Bed

Does your cat have a favorite toy? You can lure him out from under the bed by setting the toy in a position where he can’t miss it. Noisy toys are often the best as the cat will focus on them better. Tie strings to the toys and place them near the bed.

As the cat gets closer, move the toys away gradually until you’ve succeeded in drawing him out completely.

7. Turn On Noisy Appliances To Scare the Cat Into Coming Out

Most cats can’t ignore noisy appliances. The vacuum cleaner is one of the best options you can work with here as the sound is loud enough to jolt your cat out of its hiding spot.

Take the vacuum to the room, set it close to the bed, and turn it on. Most cats will jump out as soon as the sound comes on. However, if for some reason yours doesn’t move, push in the vacuum cleaner hose under the bed, moving it around until you achieve the intended result.

8. Get a Long Broom and Gently Push the Cat Out

If you’ve tried everything and the cat refuses to budge, you can use the good old approach of pushing him out from under the bed. Insert a broom with a long handle under the bed, and gently sweep back and forth until you’ve chased the cat out.

However, you have to be ready to carry the cat out of the room as there are no guarantees that it won’t just run back after you’ve pushed it out.

9. Move the Bed

A cat is less likely to hide under a bed where they can’t press themselves against the wall. So, moving the bed away from the wall will likely make the cat less comfortable in his hiding position. If the bed is too heavy, get extra help to move it. You should also pay attention to your cat’s position to keep it from getting injured in the process.

How Do You Stop Your Cat From Returning Under the Bed?

You can keep your cat from returning under the bed by dealing with the stressors that push him there in the first place. You can also consciously make the space under the bed inaccessible and uncomfortable.

We already talked about moving the bed away from the wall. Here are other things you can do:

  • Build a relaxing spot for the cat where he’ll feel safe, just like under the bed.
  • Put some storage boxes under the bed to take up the space.
  • Pay attention to common cat stressors in the house to get rid of them where possible.
  • Change the bed frame to one without space underneath.
  • Buy flaps or any such products to make the space underneath the bed inaccessible.
  • Keep the door to the room closed.

Final Thoughts

A cat hiding under the bed most of the time is a downer. You want your cat roaming around the house and keeping you company. By adopting some of the approaches above, your cat will feel more confident and quit diving under the bed every time.

Start with the easier approaches. If they don’t work, you can move up the difficulty scale. Investing money on calming pheromones or a frame blocker is usually the fastest fix.

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