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Having company in often and never locking your pet in another room. Your pet gets used to people coming in and out and they will start to trust the people that are in your home.

If you lock your pet away when you have company, you will find that your pet will go and hide every time you have company, even if you forget to put your pet away.

The more that your pet and your company are in the same room, the more your pet will come to the company to get lovin and to give lovin.

I don't ever lock them in a room when company is over, but one always runs and hides, and doesn't come out till they are sure company is gone. I feel bad, the other is out and about and sometimes greets people, especially grandma and grandpa or will run and then when she recognizes their voice she'll come out! I feel bad, I don't want to shut all the doors before anyone drops by, I think that would be a threat to her and she'd have nowhere to feel safe. Boy, cats are more complex than I thought! LOL

Jeanne, try giving her a toy or catnip just before your company comes and see if that calms her down some.

Oh that's a great idea...I'll try that, maybe cat nip will take the edge off her! I'll keep ya posted! thanks!!

Janays, you have given some good suggestions. I will leave my bedroom door open when we have my sister-in-law and brohter-in-law over Wednesday night. However, we are going to have lots of people on Thanksgivng Day and our son is going to bring our grand-dog, Willie. He is a minature Pincher and as hyper as can be.... I may have to shut my door then. I always leave water, food, toys, kitty-litter and their beds in my room, but I do hate to "lock" them in the room. I will also try the kitty-nip trick.

If there is going to be a dog brought into the home, I agree that you would need to lock the cat up so there is not a possible injury or the cat getting nervous over the dog. If you are trying to get a dog and a cat to warm up to each other, it would not be a good day to try on Thanksgiving, when so many differt things are happening and alot of people there.

Janays, I agree. they can warm up to Willie another day.

When Herself and I were in the UK last year, we discovered pubs. Every one we were in were places where amazingly civilized people came to have a pint with other amazingly civilized people. What I found so absolutely charming were all the pub dogs I saw.

Pub dogs being those little guys who accompanied their masters inside the pubs. All those dogs were socialized, and got along well with each other and the people. That was quite an experience.

When we were in the area, we had dinner each evening at the Tower Bank Arms in Near Sawrey, right up the road from Lake Windermere. We got there early each evening, just as two regulars arrived with their Alsatian mix. The dog, who was a pretty good-sized pooch, parked itself under their table and lay quietly. Except every 30 minutes or so, he'd let out a single WOOF. At that point, the publican / bartender would drop whatever he was doing, reach into a large jar of dog biscuits kept on the bar, grab one, walk over and present it to the dog. That was apparently a tradition of some standing, but it still got a few chuckles from around the room.

Dogs in around here aren't used to strangers or even other dogs. Even if we could bring our dogs inside at a bar or lounge, that'd be a plum awful idea. Can you imagine what would happen most post toasties?

My wife took 834 pictures on that trip, and the shot I find most endearing is of a pub dog near the Scottish border. He was a very young Staffordshire terrier, whose tail was wagging so fast as he looked into the camera, it looks like a wisp of smoke in the picture.

You are right. Our culture is so different and because people do not get together in a public place with their dogs, there would be total chaos.

that's true, you can see the chaos that is created when a dog brings his/her owner into their favorite pet store...and there a lot of people and several other people's pets..... Oh my!!