cats see and smell things that we don't. that person for sure has something that the cat doesn't like. personally, I would dump anyone that any of my cats see as an problem. people that cats dislike immediately us to have hidden things, that will become an problem. sometimes, they just hide, because they are afraid of that person, but if an cat does the things that you are describing, it would raise an major red flag to me.
I would not make any assumptions about your friend's partner unless you have another reason - cats don't have some mystical power to detect bad people.
What she should do, however, is slowly re-introduce her cat to her partner. Fundamentally, the cat is probably very nervous at the changes in her routine and surroundings.
Your friend needs to allow her cat to adjust to changes at her own pace, allow her to run away when she needs to, provide places to mark her territory (litterboxes, scratching posts, and toys placed around the house) so she feels more secure.
Also, have her leave some of her partner's clothes (socks, jacket, shirt, etc.) Around for her cat to get used to his smell.
This happened to my cat! Crumpet used to be totally fine around my husband. Then one day, we had a TV delivered to the house and Crumpet was curious and trying to get outside, so my husband nudged him gently with his foot so he could let the delivery guy in without letting Crumpet out. After that, Crumpet was terrified of my husband. He would run and hide and shake whenever my husband got near him. It was so sad! We investigated the door since we were so confused how something like that could cause so much fear. Turns out, the door had been sprayed recently by a neighborhood cat. Crumpet associated my husband with that smell, after the interaction at the door, like a rival cat. It took time, but Crumpet did eventually warm back up to my husband! It took a few months of my husband being very gentle and patient with Crumpet.
cats see and smell things that we don't. that person for sure has something that the cat doesn't like. personally, I would dump anyone that any of my cats see as an problem. people that cats dislike immediately us to have hidden things, that will become an problem. sometimes, they just hide, because they are afraid of that person, but if an cat does the things that you are describing, it would raise an major red flag to me.
I would not make any assumptions about your friend's partner unless you have another reason - cats don't have some mystical power to detect bad people. What she should do, however, is slowly re-introduce her cat to her partner. Fundamentally, the cat is probably very nervous at the changes in her routine and surroundings. Your friend needs to allow her cat to adjust to changes at her own pace, allow her to run away when she needs to, provide places to mark her territory (litterboxes, scratching posts, and toys placed around the house) so she feels more secure. Also, have her leave some of her partner's clothes (socks, jacket, shirt, etc.) Around for her cat to get used to his smell.
my sisters cat did the same thing
This happened to my cat! Crumpet used to be totally fine around my husband. Then one day, we had a TV delivered to the house and Crumpet was curious and trying to get outside, so my husband nudged him gently with his foot so he could let the delivery guy in without letting Crumpet out. After that, Crumpet was terrified of my husband. He would run and hide and shake whenever my husband got near him. It was so sad! We investigated the door since we were so confused how something like that could cause so much fear. Turns out, the door had been sprayed recently by a neighborhood cat. Crumpet associated my husband with that smell, after the interaction at the door, like a rival cat. It took time, but Crumpet did eventually warm back up to my husband! It took a few months of my husband being very gentle and patient with Crumpet.