My cat has lately been excluding itself from everythign else in the house. She hides under the stairs in my basement by the litterbox and hardly ever comes out. I started putting food and water down there today because I was worried about her not eating. I was hesitant in doing that because I want her to come out and putting that down there would give her no reason to at all. I am worried because I heard that animals usually seclude themsleves when they know they are going to die, but I don't know if this is true. She's not acting weird in any other way but I just wanted to be sure on what's going on with her. Any comments/answers/concerns are welcome=]

It does seem like the seclusion animals seek when they are going to die, but if she is acting normal besides the hiding, and doesn't seem sick, I wouldn't worry too much. How old is this cat?

She's about 4 years old. But I'm starting to think she's okay. I'm slowly drawing her out from her hiding place. I'm slowly moving the food bowl farther and farther away from it and she seems to be following it. So hopefully she is okay and I was just scared.

<moved from Other Health & Wellness to Cats>

Nikki Make sure that she is drinking water and peeing. Mark the side of the bowl where the water line is to see how much water she is getting, also check for wet spots in the litter. Another good indication of a uti, is that they will pee in places besides the litter box.
Last week I had a lady pm me, that she had to put her cat down due to a uti, that went on for to long. Btw I am told that males are more prone to this type of nfection.

Two things come to my mind when I hear a cat is hiding and it's not their normal behavior: Kitty is not feeling well, or Kitty is feeling threatened. Has anything changed in the house or neighborhood recently? Visitors, new pets, someone new move in close by? New furniture? Cats really dislike change in their territory, so any of that may have the cat feeling like she needs to be in a safe spot. If none of that seems to fit, then I'd be looking at how much the cat is eating, drinking, and over-all personality. If there are changes in that, then I'd be thinking about a vet visit to see if there is something wrong physically.