What to do if your cat is afraid of people

Lack of socialization

After acquiring the kitten, only family members were in the house for several months. It is not surprising that the appearance of guests will plunge the animal into a real shock. If everyone present tries to cuddle the animal, stroke it or pick it up, the result of such familiarity will be scratches. In this case, the owners themselves made a mistake by missing such an important point as the socialization of a small kitten. A cat knows no one except its own owners - and fear is considered a normal and adequate reaction. If you are planning a celebration with many guests, it is advisable to lock your pet in a separate room with a tray, water and food there.

Why is the cat afraid of me?

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New cats in the home tend to be wary, and that's normal. They need to get used to the environment, people and objects. But it happens that a cat that has lived in a family for a long time begins or continues to show fear of its owner. This can be expressed in hiding in secluded places, running away or even aggression. Why is this happening? Let's try to figure it out.

How is fear harmful? When we are afraid, our adrenaline and cortisol levels increase. The latter is a stress hormone, so a frightened cat cannot be called healthy. And if fear persists for a long time, the cat develops chronic stress and anxiety, which is very harmful to both physical and mental health.

How to tell if a cat is afraid?

With a little fear:

• She arches her back;
• Her pupils dilate.

If fear intensifies:

• flattens ears;
• Grumbles or hisses;
• The fur stands on end.

With high intensity of fear:

• It falls on its side, revealing its belly, which exposes its teeth and claws.

Although cats prefer to avoid serious conflicts, they are more likely to attack if they feel there is no way to escape.

Neophobia, or when a new cat appears in the house. A cat's fear of new homes and owners is called neophobia. This is a completely normal and rational fear. After all, it is unknown what danger lurks in all these rooms, there are new smells and strange people all around. All that is required is to give your pet time and space to adapt. This period can vary from a couple of days to several months depending on the individual cat, its age and past experience.

Fear due to injury or illness. If a cat has been living with you for a long time and its fear appears spontaneously and for no apparent reason (it avoids contact with its owners, looks wary, scared, hides), we can assume that the animal is sick or injured, so habitual manipulations cause it discomfort.

What to do? To rule out injuries and other illnesses that cause pain, the first step is to take your cat to the veterinarian. As soon as he establishes that the reason is not physical discomfort, we move on.

The constant presence of a person at a reasonable distance and without negative consequences for the pet will help him get used to the fact that there is nothing to fear. But it is important to remember that a cat is not as social as a dog. Therefore, frequent petting, attention and attempts to play can be dangerous for the owner.

For some time, until the cat gets used to it, noise should be kept to a minimum. Most pets are afraid of loud noises and are wary of objects and people who make them. Approach the cat slowly and calmly, but do not stalk. It's good if your pet notices you from afar. Don't touch him until he voluntarily comes to you.

Engage in calm activities, such as reading, to relax your pet and build his confidence. Remember that any coercion will only frighten your pet more.

Explore situations that cause fear in cats. This will help you avoid them. For example, making direct eye contact or hovering over your pet.

Don't try to calm the cat down. Unlike people who need support in difficult times, animals cope on their own. The best solution if your cat is scared is to remove the frightening stimuli.

As soon as your pet becomes calmer, you can start rewarding him with treats. This is called positive reinforcement. If cats associate a behavior with a treat, they will repeat it again.

In some particularly severe cases, the veterinarian may prescribe sedatives. It is important to observe the dosage of drugs and duration of use.

If you are doing everything correctly, and the cat’s behavior does not improve or worsen, it’s time to seek professional advice from a felinologist.

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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.

The main reasons for cats’ fear of people and methods for correcting behavior

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.

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.

Of course, shelters and curators are different and sometimes four-legged animals are lucky to find themselves in a friendly atmosphere. However, if you decide to purchase a pet from a shelter, you should prepare in advance for possible difficulties. There are no special methods for correcting such fear, only affection, patience and no pressure on the psyche. Over time, the fluffy one will believe in your good intentions.

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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.

If a cat is afraid of strangers, loud sounds, or other animals, this is due either to a lack of personal space or to a complex of self-doubt. To correct the behavior, you will need to do two types of work - equip a closed hole for the animal. In a small apartment, you can allocate space on the closet for your cat by first equipping a rigid ladder. When meeting guests, the four-legged dog must also be on top (in the literal sense of the word). Lots of options:

• Equip a ladder of confidence for the animal - small shelves are attached to the wall, along which the cat can climb and sit above all the guests.

• Provide the ward with access to the highest points of the premises - cabinets, kitchen units, etc.

• Feed the cat at a high height from the floor. Moreover, if, towering above everyone else, the pet eats food in the presence of guests, this can be considered serious progress.

• Equipping safety palms is an installation with a wide and heavy “pancake” at the base, then a thick pole (like a scratching post, only tall) and at the top a platform that the cat can climb onto if it gets scared. Climbing a tree when threatened is the instinctive desire of the mustachioed striped species.

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The main fears of a cat that poison her life are water and noise. This is the worst thing that can happen to a pet. And if these two phobias are well known to the owners, then others may turn out to be a real surprise.

Water is a real horror and nightmare for many pets. In its natural habitat, a cat does not need bathing. She is an excellent swimmer, but she will never voluntarily get into the water. Of course, among the felines there are exceptions: the Maine Coon, Turkish Van, and Bengal breeds are prominent representatives of lovers of water activities.

The cat is afraid of water for a reason. Let's just say it's not even fear, but disgust.

It's all about the coat. It is designed in such a way that the hairs hold air between themselves, warming the animal. Even if the pet does not have long and fluffy fur, it is nevertheless very warm in a short fur coat. Water getting between the hairs displaces air, causing the cat to become terribly cold.

In order to dry as quickly as possible, she is forced to lick herself for a very long time. Not only is this activity tedious in duration, but the cat cannot reach with its tongue everywhere. As a result, the cat freezes for a couple of hours, and then warms up for a very long time. Violation of thermoregulation is not the best event in the life of an animal.

What to do if your cat is afraid of people?

As soon as guests cross the threshold of the apartment, the cat runs into the room and immediately hides in the most secluded place, occasionally peeks out, but is in no hurry to approach. Sound familiar? Why is a cat afraid of people and what to do about it?

First, you need to figure out whether the pet is really afraid of people or, perhaps, he simply does not like to be in noisy society. If the reason lies in the animal’s temperament, the owner will have to come to terms with it.

All cats are different: some love everyone's attention, while others avoid company and noise. It is important that such introverted cats do not show aggression towards guests, calmly accept their affection, they simply prefer silence to the company of people. If your pet becomes hysterical at the sight of strangers or even its own owner, you should take action.

It is necessary to begin the fight against fear by establishing the reason why the cat is afraid of people.

1. Cruel treatment. Most often, people are shunned by “wild” animals, that is, those raised on the street or in a shelter. Perhaps the cat was treated poorly by a passerby, or it was beaten by the previous owner. One way or another, the pet treats all the people around him with distrust - old traumas make themselves felt.
2. Lack of socialization. Usually, when it comes to the need for socialization, dogs are often mentioned. However, this process is no less important for cats. An insufficiently socialized pet will perceive strangers and animals as potential sources of danger.
3. Features of physiology. There are often cases when a pet experiences fear only of males. It is believed that the reason lies in physiology. The woman's voice is high-pitched, closer to the sound of a cat's “speech.” And the male one, on the contrary, is too low, and therefore is perceived by cats as unfriendly. But this is not always the case.

To understand why a cat is afraid of men, remember if someone from your environment was cruel to the pet. For example, a veterinarian who gave injections to an animal may fall into this group. Perhaps the pet remembered the offender, and now all men are enemies for him.

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.

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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:

How does ailurophobia occur?

Ailurophobia most often occurs in three forms:

Absolutely any irritant associated with the presence of cats can provoke such reactions. Most often, ailurophobia is frightened by:

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In addition, if you ask the patient directly the reason why he is so afraid of cats, the answer you will hear is:

• The ability of an animal to scratch or bite, thereby causing irreparable injury to it;
• Infect with worms or other infections;
• Abnormal fear. The person does not know why he is afraid, but he is unable to control the phobia.

Shyness of cats: causes of behavior and ways to eliminate them

When a cat appears in the house, its owner thinks that it will be affectionate, sociable, and playful. But it happens that an animal suddenly becomes very timid, does not make contact with a person, abruptly changes its behavior, hides in a corner, reacts to loud sounds, and shakes with fear. It should be noted that each animal is unique: one cat will hide from a vacuum cleaner that is turned on, while the other will allow itself to be vacuumed, no matter how funny it may sound.

It's all about the psychology of the animal. From early childhood, all habits and behavior patterns take root. If in childhood a cat was very frightened by something, she was beaten, things were thrown at her, or she experienced aggression from other animals, then it is not surprising if her fearfulness remains with her throughout her life. It happens that you brought a completely calm and not fearful cat into your home, but it becomes like this due to a number of circumstances. Never show aggression towards a cat, no matter how great its hooliganism. She is a small creature who is very easily offended, and there is no way she can defend herself.

Also, a cat may react with fearfulness to loud scandals in the family; all the negativity in the family will also be transferred to the animal. As the sages said, all quarrels should be settled on the street, and at home there should be a cozy and calm environment, a warming atmosphere. Cats often react to noisy household appliances: a vacuum cleaner, a hairdryer, even the flush of the toilet. The fact is that they hear all sounds much louder than a person hears them.

Therefore, you should use everything that makes noise separately from the place where the cat is, or temporarily move it to another room. Also, one of the cat’s fears may be that it can be given to someone at any moment. This is due to the fact that the cat was not separated from its mother at a very early age; she managed to become attached to her and to her old owners. Therefore, it is better if the kitten is taken to a new family at the age of 1.5-2 months. The consequence of such fear may be that when new people come to your house, the cat will constantly hide and will not appear in sight at all until the guest leaves.

How can you help your pet overcome his fears? The most important thing is no aggression. Only instructive conversations. The cat should have a place for the toilet; it is better if there are two trays in different but secluded places. They must always be clean. The pet should have its own cozy place to sleep, where it will feel comfortable. You don’t have to buy expensive beds; you can make your own cat house from cardboard, 2 strong thick wires, an old T-shirt and a small pillow.

A visual video can be found on the Internet. Spend more time with your cat's leisure time. Various toys allow your pet to experience positive emotions. And be sure to talk to your cat, explain to her that she is a member of the family, that no one will take her away from you, that you care about her and need her. This way, you can achieve peace in your home and in your pet's behavior.

How does anxiety manifest in cats?

The body language of cats is familiar to many.

It is by external manifestations that one can suspect that the pet is stressed, does not feel well or is preparing for an attack:

• a cat twitching its tail is irritated;
• a cat arching its back threatens;
• raised fur, flattened ears, hissing, growling - manifestations “a second before the attack.”

These are clear manifestations of a defensive reaction. It is much more difficult to recognize the hidden aggression of a sick animal. In such cases, the cat simply tries to find a secluded place where no one will disturb it. An attack in such cases is rare, but possible. It is usually provoked by interference with the animal's rest. But even in such cases, the cat will not attack suddenly; it will always make it clear that it does not like what is happening.

Externally, you can tell from a cat that she doesn’t like something about what’s happening.

I had an aggressive cat who did not tolerate loud noises, be it our laughter or the sound of the TV. He rushed like lightning onto our legs, sometimes leaving quite deep wounds there. But before the attack we had a couple of seconds to defend ourselves. The cat walked towards the “victim” with its ears flattened, moving its head from side to side and meowing. If at that moment you threw a pillow or a soft toy at him, the incident could be considered over (well, turn down the sound volume, of course).