Cat personalities are often a mystery. By nature cats tend to be timid. Cats will often hide as a reaction to "danger" whether real or perceived. This is important to know when adopting a cat. Cats that have lived alone or experienced a trauma in their past tend to be particularly shy. Kindness and patience is the best course of action for these cats. Your new cat will need time to adjust to you and its new surroundings. Forcing a cat out of hiding will not relieve its anxiety. Playing will often help ease the cat's nerves, but this should be gentle play. Even if your cat wants aggressive play, take it slow. The cat may still be nervous and become spooked.

A cat may become scared and hide even after he has adjusted to his new home. Cats may become shy in any number of situations. This could be when a stranger comes to visit or when your cat notices a cat carrier. This is normal behavior for even the most social cat. However, sometimes a cat will become scared of a person and will need to re-acclimate to that individual. This fear can emerge due to a variety of circumstances. Often the person has intended no harm to the cat, but possibly made a loud noise when the cat walked by or accidentally stepped on his tail. In this case one has to prove again that they are harmless. Again patience and kindness is the best policy to show your cat that it is safe. With care, cats that are initially shy often become very loving and social companions after adjusting to their new home.