# Does your cat like strangers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089 "2011-09-21T17:45:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/1 "2011-09-21T17:45:06Z")
That’s it. Poll coming. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/2 "2011-09-21T17:46:36Z")
One does, one doesn’t. I had to vote “Other.” ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/3 "2011-09-21T17:51:18Z")
Another “one does, one doesn’t”. And the one that “likes” you is really just trying to ascertain if you know where the food is kept. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/4 "2011-09-21T17:53:40Z")
One wants to lavish affection on everyone, one is okay with anyone who wants to lavish affection on him, and one of them hides under the bed and cries. So, other. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/5 "2011-09-21T18:01:25Z")
One hates, hates, hates strangers, the other is wary, not scared but rarely lets anyone stroke him. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/6 "2011-09-21T18:02:40Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Another “one does, one doesn’t”. And the one that “likes” you is really just trying to ascertain if you know where the food is kept. Reminds me of an old joke with some truth to it. If you are attacked by a man with a knife, the smallest dog will bite, scratch and claw to do whatever it can to protect you. A cat will run up the nearest tree and think to itself: “I wonder if the man with the knife will feed me.” ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/7 "2011-09-21T18:26:45Z")
Another vote for “one does, one doesn’t”. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/8 "2011-09-21T18:27:23Z")
Ditto. 2 do, 2 don’t. Havoc and Pixel run away from strangers and hide under the bed. Caelan will stroll by looking for skritches, and Brindle is a regular cuddle-slut. She’ll jump right up onto laps looking for love. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/9 "2011-09-21T18:34:27Z")
They both scoot up the stairs when somebody knocks on the front door. They may stop halfway at the bend of the staircase, however, if it turns out to be someone they know. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/10 "2011-09-21T18:36:17Z")
2 of them love strangers, 1 is a little frightened at first but will calm down, 5 have never met a stranger, and 1 is terrified of everything including her food dish. So that didn’t fit either a “yes” or “no” answer. (For people who think we’re the crazy cat family, my stepdaughter L is currently fostering a mama cat and her five kittens. Three more weeks until we have to say goodbye ☹ ) ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/11 "2011-09-21T18:43:58Z")
‘Other’ for me, also. We have 9 indoor cats. There are only 2 of them that like people. They’ll try to make friends with anyone who visits. The others run and hide. I swear, we didn’t raise them to be like that, though. I don’t know where they get it. It’s embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/12 "2011-09-21T18:50:45Z")
He’s quite happy to be coddled and fussed over by anyone, but doesn’t go looking for it. He by far prefers me to anyone else, which surprises me. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/13 "2011-09-21T18:53:49Z")
It’s impossible to tell because when strangers come over it hauls ass upstairs and hides in the furtherest room behind a bunch of crap for hours on end. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/14 "2011-09-21T19:00:11Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Another “one does, one doesn’t”. And the one that “likes” you is really just trying to ascertain if you know where the food is kept. This. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/15 "2011-09-21T19:00:14Z")
Absolutely. His philosophy seems to be that if you’re in his house, then you are going to serve his whims. A stranger just means one more servant. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/16 "2011-09-21T19:51:29Z")
One loves all humans and the other is indifferent. She won’t come up to strangers to get pets but if a stranger goes over to where she is and pets her then she let them. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/17 "2011-09-21T19:55:25Z")
Our cat tolerates strangers and will let them pet him, but he’s largely indifferent. I wouldn’t necessarily say he doesn’t like them, but he’s not super excited when we have visitors or anything. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/18 "2011-09-21T19:58:57Z")
One of ours is actually frightened of strangers, who, after all, might be cat-eating monsters; you never know. Also, that noise he’s heard every day for most of his life? That could kill him too. You just don’t know. Best to hide in the basement. His sister, though, likes to \*pretend \*that she is frightened, and peeks at you from just out of reach, all the better to sucker you into trying to butter her up. Hard to get has never been played so expertly. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/19 "2011-09-21T20:15:06Z")
I’m another “one does, one doesn’t”, but the one that does is such an unmitigated attention whore that he kind of blows the bell curve. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089/20 "2011-09-21T20:22:08Z")
Current one will generally come out to say hi and be petted. A previous cat would nuzzle your hand to get you to pet her, and then scratch the crap out of you. She wasn’t real popular with company. In fairness, she only did that once - but she was randomly psycho, so people were conditioned to ignore her. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-cat-like-strangers/597089.md?page=2)