When we brought Kedi and Maia to live with us, they had been fostered for several months. They seemed at ease with their foster mom, but they were quite shy around us. After a few weeks, they warmed up to Susan; she fed them every morning, and they became accustomed to her morning routine.
Kedi was the first to warm up to me allowing me to stroke her back and her tail. She was the more outgoing of the two. All of my approaches to Maia were rebuffed. I think that she had negative experiences with human males during her early months of kittenhood. Nonetheless, after nine months or so, Maia allowed me to stroke her as I did her sister.
Neither of the sisters allowed us to pick them up and pet them. They are both muscular and sinewy, and they resisted being confined. After a year, Maia decided that Susan’s lap was a safe place to light. My lap wasn’t as inviting, it seems., Sigh.
This evening, I sat in Susan’s easy chair with my feet on the ottoman. I was watching one of the Marvel movies. Maia came along and jumped on the ottoman and then eased herself into my lap. She configured herself for comfort, and purred while I petted her. The entire lap encounter lasted about ten minutes. It was quite a surprise. Perhaps she has concluded that I am reliable and unlikely to pose any threat or danger if she chooses to lounge on me.
It was good for me, and I didn’t have to buy her a drink or put up more cash than I would normally. 🙂