Is Your Cat Afraid of Visitors?

Category: Cat Care | Tags: Tags: cat, cat care, cat training, cats, kitten, shy cat

Date: November 5th, 2010

One of my cats runs at the sound of a pin drop, and the other thinks he is a dog!  So my mission has been to get my shy kitty, to become more gregarious of course.  When I have visitors come over, I want to show off my pets because they are like children to me.  If you have this problem as well, here are some tips!

Begin by having someone come over and sit on the floor without making eye contact with your cat.  The visitor should engage in quiet conversation with you, and not directed at the cat. Never hold your cat or encourage or make him to go up to the visitor.  Cats always feel less threatened when they have some degree of  control (this is why your cat always goes up to your visitors that are afraid of them and ignore them at first!).  Engage the cat in their favorite activity like an interactive play session with a fishing pole toy or offer treats while in the presence of the visitor. If things go well you can have the visitor begin gently tossing treats to the cat while keeping their distance.  If your kitty isn’t ready for this step then work up to that in later sessions. The point of this is to have the cat associate something positive with the presence of the visitor.

Good luck!