What to do if your cat is scared of people

Perhaps you acquired your cat from a breeder that did not take the time to teach it to interact with humans during the first six months of its life, or perhaps you acquired it from an animal shelter. Whatever the case, it's very likely that the cat will be afraid of meeting new people and runs off whenever visitors come over. Your cat might even be afraid of you.

If your cat is afraid of people, it's very important that you do not force it to be around them. It may take time, but the cat will eventually get used to people in the right moment, but you need to let the cat take its time. Never attempt to force your cat to come out when a stranger has come to visit.

One good way to help your cat is by giving it toys and treats. If you see that your cat is afraid when strangers come to the house, ask the visitor to play with it and offer it a treat. A cat will rarely ignore the temptation of someone dangling a string in front of it, and it will most come out of its hiding place when this is done.

Tell your visitor to wait for the cat to come out of its hiding place and to then ignore it. Don't try to pet the cat right away, give it some time to study the stranger and smell him or her. Most likely the cat will prefer to go as unnoticed and its best to pretend you have not seen it.

Nervous and fearful cats must never be pet unless the cat asks for it. Once your cat becomes more used to people, you can then invite more people over.