Cat hides from everyone but me – what to do next

The good news is that the cat trusts you. The bad news is that your cat is terrified whenever someone new visits your home. Here’s what you should do if your cat hides from everyone but yourself.

Don’t force the cat

Cats are complicated. Some cats may simply not enjoy being around new people. It’s part of their personality. Whatever you do, don’t try and force the cat to “enjoy” being in the presence of other people and strangers. Just let your cat wander off and find its hiding spot until everyone leaves the house.

Socializing time

Some cats may have a personality of enjoying the presence of others but simply don’t feel comfortable enough yet to come out of its shell. This could happen to cats that lack the socializing time with people since a young age. As a result, this could happen more often with rescue cats.

It could take time but your cat may no longer fear and hide from everyone else once it has had enough encounters with “strangers”. Make sure you have some ground rules set up for anyone that visits your home. Your visitors, for example, should never approach the cat. They should appreciate the cat from a far-enough distance. They can only touch the cat if the cat approaches them.

Use a pheromone diffuser

Your cat may feel less stressed with people in your home if you set up a pheromone diffuser like Feliway. These diffusers work by releasing a calming scent. This scent mimics the natural pheromone that would come from a mother cat.

Food-motivated cats

Cats that are food-motivated could be convinced more quickly. Distribute your cat’s favorite treat to the visitors. Have them sit on the floor and feed the cat a treat or two. Over time, the cat will build a positive association with the “strangers”. The visitors at first should only give treats. They shouldn’t pet or touch the cat until the cat shows more confidence and trust.

With enough patience, your cat will gradually stop hiding from everyone but yourself. Think back to when you brought the cat home and the time it took for the cat to acclimatize to its new surroundings. It’s not the end of the world if the cat continues to hide from everyone. At least it still loves and trusts you!