"CindyBreninger" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,
We have two cats and while one ignores us unless he wants attention,
the other freezes up. She is fine when it is just me and will play
and sit in my lap, but the second my kids come home, she hides. When
we find her, she goes limp and hides her head. The kids have never
hurt her, but she just seems to be afraid. We have had her a few
months and they love her so much, but wonder why she acts like this.
Cindy Breninger
www.adayinthelifeofcindy.blogspot.com


Neither reaction is unusual. How long have you had the cats? Cats usually
need a slow, careful introduction - and even then some cats never "warm up"
to people. I have a *gorgeous* pure white, long-haired cat that we rescued
when she was 6 weeks old. We know she has never been abused or even spoken
to loudly (there's just me and my husband in our household and we both love
cats). She is now 9 years old, and she *still* runs and hides whenever we
go near her.

We have 5 cats altogether. Demi, described above; Jessie, a *very*
independent, sassy short-hair tortoiseshell girl cat who hangs on my husband
constantly and follows him from room to room like a puppy; Sammy, a gorgeous
Maine Coon-like long-hair girl cat, who is friendly and stays in whatever
room I'm in, but doesn't like to be picked up; and two orange-stripey boy
cats, 5 months old, who are the terror of our household.

All that to say that every cat is different, and the only "constant" thing
about cats is that no two are ever alike personality-wise.

My advice would be to take it slowly, ask your children not to stare
directly at the cats (they take that as a "challenge" and will be frightened
away), sit in the same room without focusing on the cats and speak softly.
Entice them with treats and toys. And most of all, just be patient.

Hugs,

CatNipped