Breakthrough!
Tonight while I was reading, a cat jumped on my lap. I am so used to sharing my lap that I was absentmindly petting the cat when it occurred to me that the fur felt funny - softer than most. Plus the cat was heavy. I looked over my book into the startled eyes of Ms. Dash! The minute our eyes met, she dug in with her claws and dashed off. This is the cat that arrived her at 7 months old and was found with other “littermates” in an abandoned campground. They were so undernourished and sickly when they arrived that they were all the same weight and size. Now that they are 9 months old, Dash has grown and evolved and it is clear that she is the Momcat and not a littermate at all. This is the first time that she has trusted enough to jump on my lap. Her fur is similar to a Persians, and it gets matted just as badly. I brush her everyday, I have to but it is not an easy task and although she lies in my arms with her head tucked underneath my elbow, she does not enjoy the experience of being held and then being brushed. I am ectastic that she has decided to extend this type of affection to me, even if only for a few seconds~