# How to make stranger cat "unafraid" of you **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2012, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-stranger-cat-unafraid-of-you/631062 "2012-08-10T06:26:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-stranger-cat-unafraid-of-you/631062/21 "2012-08-10T19:24:58Z")
> [@Severian](#): > > Well, that and the fact that cats are devious hateful bitches who extract great pleasure from bringing about misery in others. they play catch and release with their prey for half an hour. that isn’t hateful, that’s sadistic. that some that want to be petted or held will bite or scratch you until you do. that’s not hateful, it’s greedy. cats are weird beasts. good for mice if needed. ---
**Author:** ![greenslime1951](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@greenslime1951](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenslime1951)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-stranger-cat-unafraid-of-you/631062/22 "2012-08-10T19:52:14Z")
Cats (usually) have a rather sophisticated strategy for dealing with a persistent unknown: they keep a certan distance away from it and then gradually decrease that distance as long as the unknown remains interesting or at least unthreatening. So you have to give the cat time. How favorably or unfavorably it views you initially will be a function of its experience with humans in the past. Unfortunately, because of this, playing “good human” won’t help all that much. Just be patient, let the cat approach you on its own terms, and help reinforce the idea that humans may be big and loud and smell funny, but they’re good for some things (all you can ever expect in terms of feline approval). ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-stranger-cat-unafraid-of-you/631062/23 "2012-08-10T20:31:18Z")
I don’t know. My cat is a scaredy cat. She trusts me and one of my friends. That’s it. She has lived with my husband for 10 years and still only grudgingly lets him pet her and only then if she is in my lap. I have had her since she was about 6 weeks old and tried to socialize her but it didn’t take. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-stranger-cat-unafraid-of-you/631062/24 "2012-08-10T21:18:08Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Indeed. A thing I would add to your list is to every now and again glance at the cat but do it like you are almost asleep: glance, close your eyes for a good three or four seconds, open them lazily for a half second, close them again sleepily, then look away. > > I assume they consider such behaviour to be a very strong indicator that you know that they are there, but see the cat as neither threat nor prey. > > Also, even better than clucking or puss puss noises is to get a leaf or twig and make little scratching or rustling noises. Like a mouse or insect might make. > > These two steps work like crack to a cat and never fail, for me. Came to post this. I had a pet-sitting business and always did this with the cats. It seemes to be the equivalent of saying 'I am not a threat and I mean you no harm". Always worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-stranger-cat-unafraid-of-you/631062/25 "2012-08-10T22:40:37Z")
Time. In my experience, even if a cat hates a person, she can get used to them (in a “I’m going to stop and hiss at you instead of running away” sort of way), maybe even be in the same room as long as the person is sitting still quietly reading. The nicest stranger could be in the house, and poof- scaredy-cat is gone. So if you’re nice and patient and still like everyone else is saying, the cat may still take time to warm up. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-stranger-cat-unafraid-of-you/631062/26 "2012-08-11T21:40:30Z")
I’d go with Acknowledge kitty, then ignore kitty. Turn around and act like you’re working on something REALLY COOL. Dig in the dirt or grass. Act busy. Curiosity, et al. All I know is that trick works great for foxes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-stranger-cat-unafraid-of-you/631062.md?page=1)