As a welfare scientist, there is nothing nicer than seeing the results of your research being used in the ‘real world’. Quite a while ago, I did some research with students Kristen Kry and Kim Hawkins investigating the value of giving cats somewhere to hide when they first came into a re-homing centre. The rationale behind this research was quite simple: when cats are worried, their preferred ‘strategy’ is to get away. And if you’re a cat, getting away means running away, climbing upwards or hiding inside something.