[FatCat]

I'll admit - I don't have too many cat-owner friends but whenever i go into someone's house and there is a cat, the cat will almost always run and hide while the dog is always on the scene and checking me out. why do cats avoid people??? I'd like to own a cat someday but if it's always going to hide from me, well that's no fun!

 

[Jeanie]

Cats are very curious about new people, but not if they move fast or have loud voices. However, with a few exceptions, cats will come and investigate the new person. They just like to make the first move.

I love dogs, and always have one, but I cannot imagine what life would be like without a purring little friend who sleeps with me, keeps me company while I'm in the bath tub, and curls up on my lap to sleep. They are warm, loving, and intelligent. My cats are very obedient also. They just have to get to know you first. A few days getting to know a cat is worth the lifetime of love and fun they give you.

 

[Richo]

So much of it depends on the cat and how it's brought up. I've found that most cats that were brought up from a young age with love, affection, and attention will be receptive to most all humans. Many cats are brought into the home, not given much attention and sometimes hounded by young children which can make them leary toward strangers. Also, cats that have had a traumatic experience will also be standoffish.

I've known cats to be like you have described but my cat never leaves the room when a new person comes in, but he always needs to sniff a visitor out before they can touch him. And I know of a few other cats that were brought up with alot of attention and they are friendly toward all humans.

 

[Ianthe]

I have to say, in my opinion, it really depends on the individual cat and it's previous experiances with people. My cat Ashley was abused before we got her, and if anyone comes over, she hides the ENTIRE time. Gaylord, on the other hand, runs to meet people at the door, and meows at them, smells them, climbs all over them, no matter who it is. I have had Gaylord since he was a baby, and he has never met anyone that was mean to him, so he assumes everyone is his best buddy 8) Some friends of ours have a 1 year old cat that they hae had her whole life, and she is also very outgoing. They always have loud parties at their place, and Tinkerbell can often be found curled up on top of a speaker that is going at full volume!! :lol:

 

[Superkitties]

Echoing what everyone said about the individual cat and their background. Over here, all of our kitties run to see the new visitors, cause that's a whole great source of new smells!

 

[Annissa]

My cat loves visitors! Anytime there's a knock at the door, he's the first one there to greet them.

 

[FatCat]

that's one reason i'd be hesitant to get an adult cat from a shelter - they may have been abused as kittens and abandoned and so they may be scared of humans.....whereas a kitten would be more likely to adapt

 

[Kittys Mom]

I got Kitty from my sister when she was 7. My sister has 4 children and 2 dogs...Kitty hid all the time at my sister's house. She was nervous and hid when I first got her, but after a while she realized...hey, no kids or dogs! So now, she spends her day following me around and being sociable. But when someone comes over...she checks, and if it's a lot of people or there are kids she hightails it out of there to hide under the bed. I understand. I don't care if she likes the visitors, so long as she likes ME.

I just wanted to add this since I think it's wonderful when people adopt adult cats. Everyone wants a kitten, but adults need homes too.

 

[faile]

i got cujo from a shelter at six months old, and he has never hid from visitors. he likes to check out new people, and like richo says he has to smell you before he'll let you pet him.

kat on the other hand, hides when new people come in but if they're not loud or scary she'll come out and say hi when she's ready. usually in a few minutes. she's scared of the mantinence guy, but he's half deaf so he talks really loud. she was not a shelter kitty.

 

[Payge]

Envy runs right for visitors, she has to smell them first though. If they try and touch her before she has smelled them and head-butted them in approval she runs away. We havent had any visitors over since we got Chaos though.

 

[jacky89]

My cat loves visitors as much as she loves me! Whenever a visitor comes and pets her, she doesn't even need to sniff them, she just hugs their arms and starts nipping. She does that with me all the time too. She just likes to be wherever there's people and would follow you from room to room. But mine is a ragdoll and ragdoll's are social cats and are known to have dog personalities.