Domesticated cats still have a little wildcat in them, and one of the ways they demonstrate their wild side is by hiding. Their natural instinct is to steal away and protect themselves from predators as well as conserve body heat. Felines are usually pretty competent when it comes to tucking themselves away. Then there are the cats in these funny photos.

1. Incomplete assignment

I think cats sometimes forget about their tails. I suppose if we had a long appendage dangling from our bottoms, we may fail to remember its presence as well. This, however, makes for sloppy hiding technique.

2. Rear exposure

Only half of this cat’s body is hidden, but somehow he thinks he’s incognito. He’d be the worst hide-and-seek player of all time.

3. Wild Kingdom

This cat thinks she’s in the wild, hiding in local foliage and stalking native rodents. Nothing says fierce and stealthy like a tortie head framed by plastic flowers.

4. The paw-over-the-eyes logic

In some respects, cats are extremely intelligent beings. Other times I scratch my head and wonder what in the world they’re thinking. “I don’t see you, so you obviously don’t see me.” I originally thought the cat in the soda box would be the worst hide-and-seek player of all time. I take that back and present this cat for your consideration.

5. Fringe festival

This cat thinks he’s invisible, but he mostly looks like he’s got mad fringed-bangs. Those crazy kids and their crazy hair! Or maybe he’s going for that mysterious, artsy look: Where does the cat end and the fringe begin? Either way, we can see you, cat.

6. Hipster-style hiding

Cosmo obviously isn’t putting 100 percent into his hiding efforts. And he really doesn’t care what we think or if we find him. He’s the hipster of the hide-and-seek circuit. “I reject this game. It’s so mainstream.”

7. Taking a shine for hiding (sort of)

I love how cats feel sneaky, even with minimal concealment. Also, this person has an insanely clean bathtub — the surface is like a mirror, for Pete’s sake. Even I’d want to hang out in that bathtub.

8. Put a lid on it … and keep it there

Cat? What cat? Sure, I’ll play your little game. Kitties love shoeboxes because they’re just about the right size — not too big and usually pretty snug, depending on the size of the shoe and the cat. Lids make the boxes much more of a hideout, but everyone knows cats like to peek out of boxes. Peeking out of a closed shoe box makes the lid rise and is a dead giveaway. This cat needs to go back to Hiding 101.

9. Maybe a little more tape?

This cat is either hiding badly or wants to remind her human that she’s the greatest gift of all. Let’s hope it’s the latter because she’s seriously failing otherwise.

10. Conceal and wary

Wow! What a cushy headrest on this chair! Wait a minute … are those legs dangling from that headrest? Kitty is perched for attack and thinks he’s completely covered. The look on his face is priceless because he has no idea he’s totally outed himself.

11. Rare lump-with-tail species

Again with the pesky appendage. We’re all familiar with the common feline bed lump, but what a treat to see the rare lump-with-tail species. This phenomenon is most often spotted during bed-making and usually makes annoyed sounds when touched.

12. Contained = invisible

“I’m under the table, which means I’m absolutely inconspicuous.” This cat is obviously not aware that the giant opening in the front of the table is a little, um, revealing. Cats in laundry baskets adopt the same belief. “I’m contained, which means I’m invisible.”

Is your cat a terrible hider? Share photos in the comments!

About the Author: Angie Bailey is a goofy girl with freckles and giant smile who wants everyone to be her friend. Loves pre-adolescent boy humor, puns, making up parody songs, and thinking about cats doing people things. Writes Catladyland, a cat humor blog, and authored whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds, a silly book about cats wheeling and dealing online. Partner in a production company and writes and acts in comedy web series that may or may not offend people. Mother to two humans and three cats, all of which want her to make them food.

Read more by Angie Bailey:

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• 6 Ways My Cats Would Profit from Opposable Thumbs
• 5 Cat Traits I Desperately Wish to Possess
• 5 Ways I Prevent My Cats from Going Berserk