Especially MY cat. Ninja is probably the worst “socializer” there is.

She hates all other cats on spot. Every other cat is a threat. When she first started going outside here in Florida, when she saw any other cat she was running for the house! If a cat approached her with confidence, her tail was cooned and all her hair was puffed away from her body as she backed up sideways. It was hilarious looking… but she didn’t find it at all funny.

Whenever I take her to my parents’ house, she takes at least a week to warm up to everyone. She starts off ignoring even my parents and hissing at them. She will only take to whatever room we are staying in and no one else is allowed in there. Then she will start to come out and want to socialize and hang out with everyone more and more.

By day 3 she will start initiating contact and games with the other cats of the house (and she is the oldest) but she will stop the games short than the other cats prefer.

It’s pretty funny to watch. Usually by the time we’re leaving, she has warmed up to everything and everyone and wants to stay. There’s no serious fighting, she runs for cover or jumps where the other cats can’t get to.

However, socializing your cat is super important, just like it would be for a child and you and me. It’s a huge part of their personality and you don’t want to have to lock your cat in a bedroom so it can’t claw at your company. So here are some basic tips to get you started in some socialization training!

1. Set all cats involved up for success by making sure food and water is plentiful so there will be no fighting over the best dish.
2. Let the cats choose to approach one another rather than dropping them side by side and forcing them to make eye contact before they’re ready.
3. If you’re worried about brutal fighting between the cats, try “rowdying” them first. Which just means have both of them in separate crates/travel carriers next to each other so they can meet without being able to lash out and hurt one another. This will get them used to one another in a controlled environment.
4. Encourage your cat to get used to and like as many different people as possible so it gets used to other cat smells and people in general, all forms of socialization training are important whether it’s with another cat or with another person.