How long 'till they're friendly?

I'm new to cats, and we have adopted four of them in the past five or six months. I have a question about their behavior...

Two of our cats have never been very friendly - even in their previous homes (raised from kittens) they were not very people-oriented. But two of our cats (and one in particular, who I have a question about) have always been extremely extroverted and loving, one of them (Shachar) to the point of being irritating. This was in his PREVIOUS home. He has been here for a week, however, and we have yet to see any of his wonderful personality. That isn't to say he's always hiding, because that's not the case. He does follow me around the house, and he does sleep in the bed with us on occasion. However, he does not seem to like it when I pet him... and I know he was never like this in his old home. Can someone with cat experience tell me how long it usually takes before a cat is back to his "old" self in a new environment? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much.

Wow...this is a tough one to answer. Really, the only thing you can do on your end, is provide them all with love, equal attention, exercise, etc. Hopefully with time, you can win everyone over...and you most likely will. I can't give a timeframe...each cat is different, and operates on their own individual adjustment period.

One thing that may help, would be to purchase a Feliway plug-in...it can reduce stress, and help with territorial issues, and help put everyone on a more level-playing field in their new environment. They're expensive, and you'll want to put the plug-in in an area where most of the cats frequent often. You can get Feliway online, or at Petco.