My six-month old kitten, Zephyr, is a Russian Blue and a wonderful cat in many ways - he's super affectionate with me, loves to play, fetches his toys, and is very smart. However, he is scared of strangers and will hide under the couch when someone comes into the house. He will come out in a few minutes if I speak to him gently, he will play if the stranger waves his toys around, and after an hour he will be willing to sit and sleep on the stranger's lap, but he remains skittish if strangers make sudden moves and is scared when he sees or hears sounds of unfamiliar people walking or moving around, even if they are outside. Sometimes he will get scared and hide again if a stranger surprises him or walks around.
I'm not sure if he is like this because he's a Russian Blue, which are known to be wary of strangers, or if he just didn't meet many strangers when he was at the breeder's place. I think he is well socialized in other ways though because he is very bonded to me, doesn't fear loud noises (vacuums, construction, and washing machines don't faze him), doesn't mind getting his claws clipped, and generally isn't scared of other things.
Is there anything I can do to get him to be more comfortable around strangers or is it a bit too late to reverse this as I've read that kittens should ideally be exposed to strangers between 3-9 weeks of age (or is this just his personality/a breed characteristic)? I've found it a bit hard to create positive associations with strangers for him because he's not very food motivated and won't accept treats from strangers or even from me when he's nervous. He does like to play, which works for people who come over, but not for random people passing by that he might see.
I'm not sure if he is like this because he's a Russian Blue, which are known to be wary of strangers, or if he just didn't meet many strangers when he was at the breeder's place. I think he is well socialized in other ways though because he is very bonded to me, doesn't fear loud noises (vacuums, construction, and washing machines don't faze him), doesn't mind getting his claws clipped, and generally isn't scared of other things.
Is there anything I can do to get him to be more comfortable around strangers or is it a bit too late to reverse this as I've read that kittens should ideally be exposed to strangers between 3-9 weeks of age (or is this just his personality/a breed characteristic)? I've found it a bit hard to create positive associations with strangers for him because he's not very food motivated and won't accept treats from strangers or even from me when he's nervous. He does like to play, which works for people who come over, but not for random people passing by that he might see.