should I change cat routine with company?

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val189 - 17 Jun 2004 02:00 GMT

I've got 2 adults and 2 preteen kids coming for a week to 10 day
visit. My cat hides under the bed when anyone comes in. I have
comtemplated

a. setting up his food, water and litter in a bathroom where he won't
have to confront the company. He can "live" in the bedroom, if he
wants.

or

b. leave food and litter stations as they are and "force" him to come
out, see and be seen.

He's 7, a real baby and I know I've coddled him maybe too much.

Would you vote for a. or b.?

thanks for your advice.

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Mary - 17 Jun 2004 02:15 GMT

> Would you vote for a. or b.?
>
> thanks for your advice.

Why not leave things as they are?

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Laura R. - 17 Jun 2004 03:15 GMT

circa 16 Jun 2004 18:00:14 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
val189 (gwehrenb@bellsouth.net) said,

> I've got 2 adults and 2 preteen kids coming for a week to 10 day
> visit. My cat hides under the bed when anyone comes in. I have
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Would you vote for a. or b.?

I vote a *and* b. Food and whatnot in the bathroom, but keep his
regular bowls where they are so that if he *does* decide to be
sociable, he has his food in its regular place. Two of my three are
utter chickens**ts, but once a visitor has been here for a few days,
they'll roam pretty freely.

Laura

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Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

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Cheryl - 17 Jun 2004 04:11 GMT

In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats.health+behav",
16 Jun 2004:

> I've got 2 adults and 2 preteen kids coming for a week to 10 day
> visit. My cat hides under the bed when anyone comes in. I have
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> thanks for your advice.

I have three cats; one social and loves everyone, one who doesn't
give a sh.t one way or the other and never hides, and one former
feral who hides and doesn't come out for anyone. When I have my
twin niece/nephew over for weekends occasionally, (4 years old now,
the only long term visiters these days) the one I worry about is
the former feral. I don't change the routine other than give her a
bowl of food at regular mealtimes in my bedroom where she hides.
This isn't unusual because I feed her in different places to keep
one of the other cats out of her food. She will eventually come out
and sort of walk on her belly, wanting to see what is going on.
Short term visiters never see her. I'd suggest don't change the
routine and let him decide what he wants to do. If he really
freaks out, then worry and change the game plan and plan to have
some one-on-one comfort time after your visiters go to sleep.

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Cheryl

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Laura R. - 17 Jun 2004 04:34 GMT

circa Wed, 16 Jun 2004 22:11:59 -0500, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Cheryl (jlhshadow@nospamhotmail.com) said,

> She will eventually come out
> and sort of walk on her belly, wanting to see what is going on.

Ah, yes, the nobody-will-see-me-if-I-duck slither. :-)

Laura

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Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.
-Oscar Wilde

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