Guests over and hiding cats

I have a guest coming over for dinner next week and I am already stressed. Sophie is a 5-year-old dsh and she is very anxious. As soon as the doorbell rings, she vanishes into the basement. I want her to feel safe but also not feel like a prisoner. I tried the pheromone diffuser but it didn't seem to help much, she still hides.

What do you all do? I feel bad that she is so stressed out.

Keep it simple. Ziggy is 6 and food motivated. I just put a bowl of wet food in a quiet room and tell guests to ignore him. Works for us. If Sophie is food driven, try that. If not, she might need a different approach.

I work long shifts so I am not home much. When I am, I keep the routine tight. For guests, I just close the door to a room with a window. No interaction. It is not fun but it stops the stress. Have you tried just closing a door?

Oh honey, that is so hard :(
I lost Pepper recently and Mittens is very spooky. I just leave her in the bedroom with the lights on. It is not a solution but it is safe. I think you need to check out this thread about safe rooms, it has some good tips on what to put in there.

Safe room setup

The issue is likely the lack of vertical space and control. A basement is a trap. She has no escape route. Consider moving her to a room with a high perch. See this thread on vertical space for more on why it reduces hiding.

Vertical space

@ziggysdad Sophie is not really food motivated, she is more just scared. I will try the quiet room idea.
@vhoward I do close doors but she panics at the sound of the bell.
@DonnaR thank you for the link, I will read it.
@vowens that makes sense. She does not have a high place in the basement. I will look into that.

If she is not food motivated, it is harder. You might need to train the guests. See this thread on how to tell people not to stare or reach out.

Training guests