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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

What are your cats like when you have visitors?

26 replies

TheWinterOne · 23/09/2013 10:48

My two are great with all members of the household but they will not go near any friends who visit. Even when they visit frequently. Both seem to either opt to go in to hiding or my male will decide now is best to go out. My girl didn't have the going out option because she wasn't spayed until last week.

OP posts:
NatashaBee · 23/09/2013 10:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ZebraOwl · 23/09/2013 11:14

Here, black!cat hides (usually under my bed) from strangers. Blond!cat is a bit bolder, but still wary. It takes a lot of time for them to accept people, probably - in part, at least - because before they came to live here they'd had very little human contact. If it is someone they're in the process of getting to know black!cat will sometimes spy on The Interloper from a safe distance. He freaks out if an Unknown gets too close to him though, which has almost caused accidents on the stairs when panicked!feline couldn't decide which way to bolt...

tabulahrasa · 23/09/2013 11:18

One hides, to the point of diving behind the couch if she's nowhere else to go.

The other marches over and sits on them waiting for them to worship her.

fluffydressinggown · 23/09/2013 11:18

She is incredibly friendly and within 10 minutes is sat on their knee purring and licking them. Blush

SmallBee · 23/09/2013 11:19

Mine absolutely disappears the moment the doorbell rings, he won't appear again unless it's raining outside. Very occasionally if there at just one or two people over he'll slink back and come and sit on the sofa, but only next to me.
He's this huge big black Tom but he behaves like a scared little girl around anyone other than me or OH.

cozietoesie · 23/09/2013 11:21

Seniorboy (who is a housecat) will occasionally 'inspect' a visitor from up on the stairs but isn't very fond of them. He'll generally go to his bed and leave us all to it.

edam · 23/09/2013 11:21

Our black moggie tends to keep his distance, either disappearing or being very cautious. Occasionally he will allow a visitor to stroke him but will head off after a few moments.

Purplemonster · 23/09/2013 11:27

Little cat is a total tart bold little thing and isn't even put off by my friends toddler, she's not bothered about visitors at all and will happily come up to them if they call her. Evil cat doesn't even like us that much, she's very antisocial so at best she'll glare at you as she stalks past. No idea why I put up with the grumpy bugger, she treats the place like a hotel and only comes into eat and sleep!

issey6cats · 23/09/2013 11:59

depends whio the visitors are jo jo and blue are not bothered by adult visitors and will usually go and say hello jasper will go hide and biscuit is determined to have a wrestling match with whoever comes in, the grandchildren on the other hand as they are walking down the front garden path the whole lot of them are forming an orderly qeue by the back door with panic written on thier faces

SummerSevern · 23/09/2013 12:06

The blind one stays where he is. Not scared, just not bothered.
My big fat boy jumps straight on the nearest lap and usually proceeds to lick his genitals.
Tortie girl will occasionally seek out a lap. Depends on her mood/how sunny the windowsill is.

GemmaTeller · 23/09/2013 12:11

Fat old cat isn't bothered by visitors, boy cat scoots straight out and will not come back in under ay circumstances until he's sure visitors have gone.

On Saturday morning I had to carry boy cat from the bedroom, past the person sleeping on the sofa, to the back door (he was sat on the bed meowing at us to help him!

thecatneuterer · 23/09/2013 12:14

summer - do you mean he licks his own genitals or the genitals of the person whose lap he has just jumped on to? Shock

SummerSevern · 23/09/2013 13:06

Grin His own. Though there have been a few awkward situations where people have dropped food in their lap...

Lovethesea · 23/09/2013 19:43

Huntertabby loves any attention from anyone of any age and inspects all visitors with interest in case they will stroke him or feed him.

Tortiecat will just stay where she is in the lounge and expect visitors to work around wherever she has decided to sit.

This includes lots of 3 and 4 year olds like my two kids.

We chose them at CP rescues because they are bombproof!

Fluffycloudland77 · 23/09/2013 19:48

Ours likes people I like and dislikes those I dislike.

I sit there hoping he will bite but no such luck.

usualsuspect · 23/09/2013 20:01

Mine disappears under DSs bed when any one comes round,unless they are a select few of DSs mates who he will honour with his presence.

nocheeseplease · 23/09/2013 20:07

It depends what time of day it is. If it's the afternoon they'll come in to have a nosey at who's visiting but they won't stick round, they'll have a nibble at their food then go back out to play, if it's morning or evening when they're tired then all 3 of them will happily snuggle up to visitors and sprawl over them.

emmelinelucas · 23/09/2013 20:09

Mine runs and hides from friends who love cats.
She is all over friends who don't.
Grin

thesixteenthtry · 23/09/2013 20:13

I'm amazed so many cats hide from visitors. Is it because we're getting them from rescue and they're not socialised early enough? My cat's the same but all the cats we had when I was young came from family homes and were always friendly.
Now the family cats are mostly neutered so more and more people are getting shy rescue cats.

usualsuspect · 23/09/2013 20:18

Mine comes from a houseful of cats and people.

He's been around people from a very early age.

He's just an anti social bugger.

GemmaTeller · 23/09/2013 20:28

We've had them both from being weeks old.
Fat old cat is bomb proof, has been dressed up, walked round with hair bobbles on her ears and tail, wheeled in a toy pram, grabbed at and petted by most visiting babies and children, lived with two separate sets of large dogs.
Boy cat was all over our son and daughter (and terrorized our boxers) when we first got him but now, a year later, is only happy when its just DH and myself in the house - but he still terrorizes the dogs and has no qualms about trying to get food off them!

ZebraOwl · 23/09/2013 21:33

I think, sadly, a lot of rescue cats (& other animals too) will retain some degree of wariness around (some) humans due to traumatic experiences/neglect before they were rescued.

The people next door's (late) Big Dog was a rescue - big fluffy part-Alsation bundle of gentleness. He had been subjected to horrendous treatment before he was rescued & as a result would go bananas around smokers and anyone with a walking stick or crutches.

Animals clearly (in many cases) remember trauma & unfortunately can't be treated for PTSD in the way humans are.

tabulahrasa · 23/09/2013 22:35

Mine I both got as kittens, they're just really different - the sociable one is a Siamese though. The other is very friendly with people she knows well, my sister for instance who's in every week or so and my mum who stays for a week every couple of months, or my neighbour who is in every couple of days, but anyone who is in less than that is clearly scary, lol.

sashh · 24/09/2013 08:00

Mine sits on my carer, if he is not here she might sit on me, or tell me off for.............. well not being him.

A different friend was in my kitchen, she (cat) thought it would be a good idea to jump as high as she could on my friend and then climb up to her (friend) shoulders.

She also likes my dad and if I have anyone to do any work I have to inspect their van before they leave to make sure she is not hiding under the seat or exploring the tools in the back.

Charlie was a complete tart. Where I lived was a route to two schools, one primary, one the posh secondary. Charlie would make sure he was in prime position to be adored by children of all ages.

SilverOldie · 24/09/2013 16:16

My old cat used to start off by sitting facing the wall. He would then turn round and choose to jump up on the lap of the person most scared of cats and although he didn't dig his claws in, that person would be in no doubt that he would if they tried to remove him.

He didn't like my boyfriend at the time and we would often wake up to find him sitting on BF's chest, eyeballing him, with BF saying get this fucking cat off of me Grin.