In August DP and I bought our first home and moved closer to
work/school in a university town.  Now that we live so close, friends
are ALWAYS stopping in to say "hi".  This has been quite a change
for Simba and Pepper as they are not used to company visiting.  It has
taken several months, but they are really starting to open up, be more
social and friendly.  Pepper no longer hides when people come to visit.
In fact he has recently started to sit in front of guests and talk at
them until he gets pettins.  And Simba has started to come out and look
at guests - last night he even let a friend pet him.  This from the
cat that used to climb up IN TO the mattress box springs when people
come over.

It's so nice that people can actually see the boys now!  See.I can
prove I really do have cats ?  It just makes me proud that they are
adjusting so well.  Poor things have had so many changes recently with
the move, a new house (without stairs) and to top it off I am back in
school so my schedule is very different then it has been the last 2
years.  It's so nice to see them relaxed and playing again.  They
have even started to play kibble hockey in the kitchen, unfortunately
shooting the kibble under the fridge seems to constitute a goal!

The only problem seems to be that they are still afraid of male guests.
I guess because DP and I are female, as are most of our friends they
just are not used to men.  Has anyone else experienced this type of
problem?  Any suggestions on how to get them more accustomed to men?
The only thing I could think of was to have a male friend stop in a few
days a week and see if they get used to it.

Sorry for the long winded post - I have been lurking all semester,
but things have only just calmed down enough for me to start to post!
Why did I want a Grad. MLIS?

~ Jemifur & the Boyz (Simba and Pepper)

The only thing I can think of is just what you suggested... have a male
friend come over a couple of times a week and add having him give them
treats or playing with them with their favorite toy.

Congratulations on the successful move, I hope you're enjoying your new
home.

Hugs,

CatNipped

That could help; or it might not.  Cats do things on their own time
tables.  Oscar is almost 5, and only in the last year has she been
visible while company's around.

I don't think it could hurt to try having a male friend around a few
days a week, as long as no one's trying to force an interaction with
the cats.

What wonderful progress! I have 2 that tend to stay hidden, though
both of them will come out if it's quiet. Yeah right.  LOL  Do your
male guests wear heavy shoes? 2 of mine hate shoes .. period. Good
luck and congrats for the further socialization of your furry ones!

Scouty girl is afraid of men, even John... so having a man come to
visit may or may not make a difference. She won't let him come near
her most of the time, even though she sees Silver climbing all over
him etc.
On the other hand, they were BOTH real scaredycats about visitors when
we got them, but now Silver's showing distinct signs of turning into a
lapslut! It's wonderful to see her trying to get attention from our
visitors instead of hiding under the bed... I'm hoping that one day
I'll see Scouty putting in an appearance too, but I'm not holding my
breath.