My cat is scared of strangers – what should I do?

A cat has a critical socialisation window of 2-9 weeks which means if they don’t experience certain sights and sounds then they can become more fearful of them later on in life. While it doesn’t mean that socialisation stops happening after this period it is helpful to recognise that this can have an impact.

How to help

As a prey and predator species cats feel safe when they can get away from a situation and assess it. Having options for them to move away so they don’t have to run any gauntlett’s to move away from visitors can help as it can feel scary moving away from something and having to get past it.

Having a cat tree, cat shelving or other available perches to climb on can help a cat feel safer as they are able to look down on us (figuratively not literally!). A cosy bed where they can hide such as a big deep donut type bed is sensible so they can hide but also look out if they like too.

Having a hiding place is very important.

Forcing a situation can feel intimidating to a cat (i.e putting them in a room and hoping that they will get over it). Having options to move away will help a cat to feel safer and therefore potentially more confident.

Sniffing is an information gathering activity – it does not mean that a cat wants to be picked up and stroked. Cats have scent glands in their paws so being picked up for many can be initimidating.

Allowing a cat to approach someone in their own time on their own terms can help.

A very long piece of string with a hairband on the end can entice some cats to play and can help build up positive associations with the person. Sweeping it on the floor can be helpful to catch.

Thinking about the visitor can be helpful – is there something in particular about them that the cat is unsure of? Do they wear big loud clunky boots for example?

If you’d like support with your cat and strangers please reach out.