House visitors and our cat don't mix well

Failing to understand how this cat behaves

Created on 29 May 2021.

The cat that is currently part of my family is a stray cat. How he managed to become part of it is a different story.

What I find to be very strange, is how he reacts to strangers.

Each and every time a person visits our home, he picks a corner of the living room or a very well hidden place in the bathroom and stays there. That's it! No sounds, no movement, no curiosity whatsoever. If you look for him, you will see a creature with big, dark eyes looking at you like you are the bogyman.

If you go near him, he just freezes. You can pet him. He won't bite, he won't scratch. He won't do much actually. You can even grab him and hold him close.

In fact, one day we took him from a corner, and placed him in the visitor's lap. He petted him and everything. Same scared face and eyes. Little movement. A couple of minutes later, he insisted on leaving. Left him on the floor, and he very slowly started moving away and going back in to the corner.

Nothing moves him. Water? No. Food? No. Toys? No. Treats? Nothing.

A short time after the visitors leave, he returns to his normal behavior like nothing happened.

I've heard other (horror) stories from other pet owners. Taking those into consideration, I'm more than happy with this behavior, even if I cannot understand it. He used to leave on the streets, right? You would think that he is accustomed to strangers.


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