A cat that has nowhere to retreat to is a cat that's permanently a little more exposed than it wants to be. This is one of the simpler pieces of cat welfare advice to act on, and one of the more commonly overlooked.
Why it matters
The RSPCA's guidance is direct: providing a safe hiding spot helps cats feel secure in their surroundings, reduces stress, and promotes happiness. For a naturally territorial animal that spends a lot of its life indoors, having somewhere it fully controls, that nothing and nobody disturbs it in, does real work for its baseline stress levels.
Two different kinds of space
The RSPCA's guidance distinguishes between two purposes, which is worth knowing because one hiding spot rarely does both jobs well:
A resting space is the permanent, comfortable retreat a cat uses for extended relaxation. This works best somewhere elevated, easy for the cat to get to, and out of the way, in a quiet part of the home rather than a busy thoroughfare. This matters even more for older cats, who benefit from not having to jump far to reach it. Our Enclosed Cat Retreat Igloo is built for exactly this role, a private, enclosed spot a cat can treat as fully its own.
A dart spot is different: a quick hideaway for the moment something startles a cat, rather than a place for a long rest. These work best positioned in the busier, noisier parts of the home, a kitchen or a hallway, precisely because that's where a sudden sound is most likely to happen and where a cat needs somewhere close by to bolt to.
The RSPCA's rule of thumb
At least one dedicated resting space per cat in the household is the guidance, which matters in multi-cat homes where cats might otherwise end up competing over the one good hiding spot.
Rules for using it well
A safe space only works if it stays safe, which means always allowing free entry and exit, never blocking or cornering a cat inside one, and respecting a cat's privacy by not disturbing it while it's using the space. When cleaning it, disturbing the space as little as possible helps keep the familiar scent that makes it feel safe in the first place.
Source: Create a Safe Space for Cats, RSPCA.