A milestone!

[Mrs Kane]

Hey gang!

We've had Sofi since March, so more or less 8 months. She just celebrated her fourth birthday with us and after 4 owners I hope we'll be the last she has to get to know.

We had a milestone this evening. The previous owner said she couldn't be stroked and we proved her wrong. She also said she didn't like to sit on anyone's lap and I proved that wrong in a week. Tonight we've disproved her last quip; that she didn't like to be held.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc13 ... G_1026.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc13 ... G_1022.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc13 ... G_1037.jpg

This is my BF holding her. The first 2 photos I picked her up and put her in his arms but the last is when she jumped up on her own to be held.

This all happened in about 2 hours and I'm so proud of her! I wanted to put this on FB but I have so many cat photos on there already I think that people think I'm a bit nuts. So I'm putting it on here because you guys know how important this is as a cat owner.

[p885]

That is great! Keep up the good work with the cat.

[Lilith]

Cool! congrats you and Sofi!

After nearly 4 YEARS Molly will only be picked up under durance (and great annoyance.) Mousey, who's always been timid, and who's lived with me for 13 years, STILL gets alarmed; the other night she came into the bathroom in the 'wee hours' - pun intended, for a fuss, when we spied an evil little ginger face peering round the door. The horrible Molly, menacing!

When I picked up poor Mouse to give her a safe conduct back to her roost in the spare room she yelled blue murder!

But a couple of nights later, same scenario, loo, Mouse and me, I thought I heard her claws clicking on the floor and, as she's prone to ingrowing claws, took advantage of her confiding mood to lift her on to my lap to check. She purred her head off and settled...

Talk about caught with my pants down...

[Crewella]

Gosh yes, you can really see how much she's hating that!! Written all over her ecstatic little face!!

Congrats, you must be so chuffed!

[meriad]

aw, how sweet is that. It's just the most rewarding thing isn't it, when a cat does something on it's own accord that you were told it never would.

My Monty was the most shy and scared boy when I adopted him; and same as your Sofi, he's come such a long way. Well done you - just goes to prove that lots of love, patience, understanding and acceptance of personality make all the difference

Fusses to your gorgeous girl

[bobbys girl]

Gosh yes, you can really see how much she's hating that!! Written all over her ecstatic little face!!

Congrats, you must be so chuffed!

I'll second that. Lovely photo's!

[lilynmitz]

Awww, well done both of you! It's so rewarding when they make another big step away from their frightened origins.

Our Elsie had a very dodgy start in life, and took many months to bring round. She's very happy and affectionate now, but she couldn't work out what this whole "sitting on laps thing" was about, so I'd rather given up trying. (Zig only hops up occasionally, and not for long, as he came with emotional baggage as well). Well last week, after 5 months, to my amazement she suddenly got it! She must have heard me say to Pete last week that I missed having a cat on my lap. Not any more! Clever Elsie. I'm so proud of my two moggies and all the progress they've made since they came to us.

[Mrs Kane]

Thankyou everyone for the lovely comments and stories of your own!

I'm just pleased as punch about how well she's done over the past 8 months. Yesterday was just the icing on the cake for me. (I've been teaching for too long today, all the old idioms keep coming out)

I know I'm probably a little over proud because she has always been a house cat and although she's been through a lot of owners she's never been neglected. But... I'm just so happy right now. She finally seems at a stage of contentment and trust.

Lol at your loo story Lilith! I hope you had a book to read!

[Lilith]

Lol Mrs K I didn't! I have about a thousand books (no lie!) but none of them live in the bathroom. I suppose I could have burst into song and paraphrased Puccini, something about my tiny ass is frozen (which it was lol, errm, sorry mods) but I just gave Mousey a big kiss and cuddle and put her down on the floor and shuffled off back to the duvet...

Again congrats re Sofi - when you gain an animal's trust like that, there is nothing like it, can't compare with anything else. I've never been very social but the high points of my life have been when my strays accepted me and when I had to assist-feed two very young fasting snakes - and they coiled and ate!

Errm, sentimental moment -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9_vhYpR9xo

[Crewella]

Nothing a like a midnight sing-a-ling on the loo! The things our cats make us do - small wonder, really, that we get called 'mad' cat ladies!!

I agree, there's nothing like that feeling of having made a breakthrough. Treasure it, Mrs K, you put the work in and you deserve that lovely warm glow.

The night Daz first arrived he was a terrified stray tom cat, shaking like a leaf but utterly passive. It was August and he was so hot that he was panting, and I couldn't move his crate to anywhere cooler, so I broke my own rules and instead of leaving him in peace to calm down I sat up all night with him, bathing his ears and fur with a cool sponge. It still took him a couple of weeks to really trust and approach me of his own accord, but something was forged that night, a bond like no other, which is why my Daz is such a mummy's boy and holds such a special place in my heart.