Unlike domestic dogs, cats have a less “plastic” character. Much is known about the training and habituation of dogs, as well as their socialization, but there are few clear recommendations about cats.
Pet lovers and professional breeders agree that if an animal is afraid of a person, the consequences can be disastrous not only for the person, but also for the animal itself.
A cat's fear of strangers or its owner is quite common. The pet tries in every possible way to avoid contact with people, preferring to hide in quiet places, hide in a corner or under furniture. Attempts to catch the cat end in scratches, bites and threatening hisses.
Living under the same roof with a person, an animal that is frightened by him cannot completely avoid contact, which leads to constant psycho-emotional overload. The cat is in a constant state of stress, which negatively affects its health. The owner’s task is to understand the reason for this behavior and take appropriate measures to eliminate the animal’s fear of people.
The cat is wildly afraid of strangers
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The cat is approximately 7 months old (neutered a week ago, vaccinated, healthy). Two months ago she was picked up on the street. Since then, he only trusts the girl with whom he lives. He hides in front of strangers, shakes, and is wildly afraid. As soon as he realizes that a stranger has come in, the cat changes before his eyes and disappears. At the same time, he is an ideal cat with his owner. Affectionate, sociable, playful. This behavior problem has remained unchanged for these two months.
Some cats cannot stand strangers in the house. One of the reasons for this behavior is the lack of communication with people at an early age: sometimes, for a cat to hide from guests for the rest of its life, it only takes one case when a guest was too noisy or treated the kitten poorly.
A particularly nervous and fearful cat can be given a sedative - special drops, but you should not give such a remedy all the time. A sedative is just a small help that helps to slightly speed up the process of getting used to strangers. In any case, with or without drops, frequent meetings with people should help the cat understand that the arrival of guests does not threaten it in any way. It is very important that the cat, without running away, learns to allow strangers at a fairly close distance.
One of the ways to accustom a cat to guests is to prevent it from running away and hiding. To do this, put a harness on it or put it in a carrier for a while. Moreover, it is desirable that the cage is located in the same room as the guests, who need to be warned so that they behave calmly, do not shout or raise their voices. At first, your family members can play the role of invitees. Of course, at first the doorbell will alarm the pet, but the cat will no longer be able to escape from the carrier and as soon as it sees its friends, it will quickly calm down. If you do this constantly, the cat will very quickly get used to the idea that the doorbell does not pose a threat. Over time, you will be able to ask "real" guests to enter the room with one of the family members and sit next to the cage. It is only important that the training is regular. In this case, the cat carrier will become a shelter.
As soon as the cat, being in its house, gets used to guests, you need to gradually accustom it to closer contact with them. Let guests sit as close to the pet's cage as possible, but do not lean over. In this case, you can offer the cat some kind of treat: food strengthens relationships much faster than affectionate conversations. Most likely, the cat will refuse the treat at first, but sooner or later everything will work out. The main thing is to be patient and attentive.
Noise
If you're planning a renovation or move, proactively start giving your cat an anti-stress herbal multivitamin supplement about 10 to 14 days before the event. Train your cat to sleep in the carrier and consider it a safe place.
Include comfortable bedding and your cat's favorite treat in the carrier. Remove or open the door slightly. The cat will definitely go there out of curiosity. Never force your cat into the carrier or lock the door.
Let the cat enter and exit the carrier at will. This will come in handy when traveling to the country or visiting the veterinarian. Even during repairs, you simply close the cat in the carrier and take it to a quiet place.
Why is a cat afraid of strangers?
A famous English writer once said: “A real cat strives to live its life peacefully, so that people interfere with it as little as possible. In this way, real cats are very similar to real people.” Indeed, most cats, despite their love for their owner, behave somewhat distantly, reacting sharply to the invasion of the personal space of strangers. Moreover, some individuals are very afraid of strangers and, when they appear, rush to sneak away. What could be the reason for this behavior and can it be corrected?
Feeling insecure
A cat may be afraid of strangers due to loud noises or a lack of self-confidence. This behavioral problem can be corrected by providing your pet with a personal space. If the size of the apartment does not allow you to allocate an area, it is enough to build a rigid ladder from the floor to the closet, where the animal will feel safe. The instinctive desire of cats when there is a real threat and fear is to climb a tree. A tall complex with a scratching post, shelves on the wall - all this will help your pet feel confident.
Main causes of fear
The character of cats is not as flexible as, for example, dogs. In addition, these animals are not so successful in training, and few people manage to teach them complex tricks. Experienced cat owners believe that if a pet experiences fear of humans, this can lead to serious consequences. There is a completely logical explanation for this - even small mustachioed striped animals are, in fact, predators, and at the genetic level they are accustomed to attacking a frightening subject, rather than fleeing.
Among the main reasons for cats' fear of people are:
- Human rudeness towards animals, physical torture, deliberate intimidation.
- Previous negative experience of communication between an animal and people, because we must not forget about the excellent memory of cats.
- Infringement of rights to territory.
- Lack of self-confidence.
- Incomplete or impaired socialization.
Excessive fearfulness of a pet usually worries the owner, but most conditions can be corrected. The main thing is to find out why the animal is afraid of people.
How to deal with fear?
Not all cat owners want to help their pet. Some people are convinced that hiding in a room or under a bed during a party is not a problem. Meanwhile, such chronic stress directly affects the character of the animal and its health.
In overcoming fear, it is important to show your pet that strangers are not enemies. It is necessary to neutralize the negativity that the cat experiences every time it smells a stranger. How to do it?
- During the dating process, you cannot force the cat to be in the company of other people against its will. If you pick up a pet and it resists, you shouldn’t hold it, it’s better to let it go.
- If a cat is afraid of humans, a treat will help establish contact. Positive reinforcement is one of the best methods of training animals, including cats. The treat should be given by a person who seems dangerous to the cat.
- A cat rod will also be an excellent helper in the socialization process. Practice shows that the hunting instinct of most pets still prevails. The trick is that the “enemy” is far enough away from the cat, but it is he who initiates the game.
- During therapy, try not to gather large noisy companies at home; invite one person or a couple of guests. Moreover, it is advisable to do this until the pet is completely accustomed to these particular friends.
- You should not give your cat medications on your own. The use of sedatives is possible only on the recommendation of a veterinarian.
There are many reasons why a cat is afraid of humans. Most often it is due to lack of socialization. While this process goes fairly quickly with a young cat, adult pets are extremely reluctant to make contact with strangers. Be patient, because fighting fear may take several months.
Wild and domesticated cats
Usually, when talking about wild cats, we mean animals born on the street. The four-legged animals stay in the nest for up to 1.5–2 months and do not see people or other animals. Afterwards they explore the world under the strict control of their mother. Naturally, the “two-legged giant” seems like a threat to the little kitten. The reaction is quite predictable - run for cover, and if caught, then scratch, hiss, bite and call for the mother.
Important! Even a 1-2 month old wild kitten is capable of causing serious scratches and bites, and if the mother comes to the cry of the baby, you will have a very hard time. Not only will the mother cat attack, but she will also chase you until you leave her territory.
Tamed cats are animals that lived in human company for some time, but suddenly began to be afraid of people. In addition to bites and scratches, you can receive gifts from a frightened animal in the form of piles and puddles, torn wallpaper or torn curtains. It is more difficult to correct the behavior of a domestic cat than a wild one. A kitten on the street can be accustomed to itself gradually, because the main reason for fear is mistrust. The domestic cat already knows people, but harbors a grudge (fear).
Important! Overly aggressive behavior also indicates fear, but the reason may not lie in fear of people.
Useful tips
Before purchasing a new pet, you should think about whether he can get along with the pet already living in the house, and also about how, if possible, to make friends between a cat and a cat in the shortest possible time. Since cats of different sexes get used to each other much faster than cats of the same sex, you should not forget that the character of each animal is individual.
Separating pets during mating season will not lead to anything good
Do not forget that both cats and cats are very sensitive creatures who always understand the attitude of their owners towards themselves, be it love or lack thereof. Having felt and sensed everything that the owner experiences in relation to them, pets begin to behave accordingly.
The main reasons for cats’ fear of people and methods for correcting behavior
What to do if your cat is afraid of people and even you? What if an animal attacks your children or guests? Does it bother other animals in the house? First, you need to figure out what causes your pet’s stress. The first thing to exclude:
Rough behavior, physical punishment, intentional intimidation
Do you scream, spank, swing or stomp on your pet? This is rude, aggressive and threatening behavior, if after such gestures the cat begins to be afraid and attack you - do not be surprised, you deserve it! If you want to correct the situation, start with yourself; it is not your pet’s fault that he is forced to defend himself and fear for his life.
Negative experience
Usually, in this case, cats are afraid of certain people, for example, veterinarians after undergoing surgery. Also included in this category are animals that have experienced rough treatment or bullying by their former owners. Animals that have experienced the horrors of existence in municipal shelters are usually also afraid of people who resemble former caretakers.
Territorial infringement
Cats are quite territorial, and it is important for them to have their own, safe place. If your furry friend physically cannot hide from guests or children, at first he will be under prolonged stress, then you will observe passive-cowardly behavior and only then will you feel anger on yourself.
By the way, a pet may worry about the inviolability of its territory and is not afraid of people, but it may take out its anger on bipeds. For example, seeing a cat outside the window, your ward will get angry at him, but will scratch you or your child. There is only one reason - the cat does not feel safe. Correct this and the behavior will return to normal.
Have you seen your cat running around the house at night?
Some of these theories may seem plausible. However, they seem pointless if our cat runs around the house like a maniac at night. They may have to defecate one night, but this is not a very common occurrence. Especially when it happens every night.
So, obviously there could be other reasons, or at least other theories.
- Burning off their excess energy . Many people say that cats have large doses of energy. Since they don't go for walks or play games, running is their way of using up this excess energy. However, this behavior is more common in kittens.
- Fleas . If your cat has fleas, parasites, or an itch on their body that they can't reach, it's likely that they will go around the house to get rid of them. If your cat doesn't usually do this and suddenly starts running around the apartment, you should check to see if she has fleas or other skin conditions.
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How to fight
If the animal does not want to make contact and snorts, then you should not go against its will, as you will only make things worse. Harm the cat and you yourself will end up scratched, and the problem will never be solved.
Recommend: Protective collar for cats
You can also use sedatives , but this is only on the recommendation of a veterinarian, otherwise it can become addictive.
To overcome your animal’s fear of strangers, you need to listen to the following recommendations:
Overcoming visitors' fear
It may be a slow process, but you can train a fearful cat to no longer be afraid of visitors. Many of the same techniques that are used to prevent fear of visitors are useful in overcoming a cat's existing fear.
- Treats, verbal praise and affection, pheromones, supplements, and encouraging visitors to be calm and slow can all help show your cat that she has nothing to fear.
- It can be helpful to let your cat come out of hiding rather than forcing her to come out.
- Visitors who stay for an extended period may have a better chance of your cat warming up to them since the cat will have more time to get used to them.
- Having frequent visitors instead of just one or two visitors a year during the holidays will also help reassure your cat so that she knows that visitors are not scary as they are a normal part of life and not something new or unexpected.
