WHY IS MY CAT HIDING?
- People will sit in your cat's favorite chair
- Furniture will be moved around
- Doors will be closed، which may reduce the cat's access to her favorite spot
- More noise than usual in the home
- Changes in feeding times due to activity with your guests
The longer the visitors stay، the longer this stress remains for your cat.
But that's not the only change that may stress your cat and cause her to hide. In fact، anything that disrupts the environment can do it، depending on how confident your kitty feels. Examples include a stray cat wandering around outside، a doorbell ringing، a vacuum cleaner، a leaf blower outside، a new dog or cat، or even a new baby.
Sometimes health issues might cause your cat to hide more too. If your cat's behavior has recently changed، a trip to the veterinarian might be a good idea.
Make Visitors More Pleasant to Your Cat
You can do a few things to help your cat feel less stressed when visitors are over.
- Allow your cat to approach when it's comfortable for him.
- Give your visitors a toy that your cat enjoys playing with so they can interact in a fun way.
- Let your cat hide away in an area separate from the visitors until he's ready to emerge. Don't force him out in the open.
- Teach children to play gently with your cat and not bother him while he's sleeping or eating.
Interestingly، "non-cat people" tend to make themselves as invisible as possible so the cat avoids them. Cats actually finds this display of body language far less threatening and may well move toward the non-cat person first. So encourage your visitors to act like they are "cat people."
