You will NEVER guess what Ninja just did to my foot!

[Snoof]

OH. MY. GOD.

I just went to the kitchen to get some food ready for dinner, and Ninja came into the kitchen, mreowing in his rusty little way. So I sat down on the floor (as you do ) and he just loved me up like mad, rubbing against my elbow and my arm, letting me fuss him, mreowing and purring and trying to knead the linoleum.

Then he stepped over my ankles to get to the other side (now there's a bad joke ) and got cuddles while I was between him and the door (). He walked slowly (and still purring) around my feet to get back to the door-side. He did this three times and every time got cuddles on the other side (I think he was just seeing if the service was the same there, to be honest ).

Also, when I changed my position (so I was leaning on an arm) he squeezed through the gap between my arm and my body and loved me up the whole way .

But... The best thing he did was...

He gave my right foot a heartfelt, thorough HEADBUMP!!!

I finally understand the "I will never wash this appendage again" feeling

I'm sorry for making yet-another-thread-about-Ninja. I don't want to spam the board or anything. But I really wanted everyone to see this. You guys have given me advice and support and encouragement - and Kazz, you did say you thought we'd cracked it... I was too pessimistic to dare believe it... You were right and I was wrong, mea culpa, please forgive me

I really got the feeling that he was sort of... experimenting. I don't know what things were like when he was very small, but he was only about a year old when we got him and his faith in humanity had been badly damaged in the meantime. Today, I really got to see the cat he ought to have been, and it's wonderful that he's getting a chance to become that cat.

So thank you all for all the help and support and answers and debate and encouragement. From me and from Ninja

[Fran]

I'm so pleased for you Snoof!! What a different cat Ninja is now. Looks like you really have cracked it

[Snoof]

He is, Fran. The change in him is amazing. And I'm finally starting to be a little proud of myself.

Our best friend (who's here at least two, usually three or more days out of the week) has been gone all weekend because he had to go to a wedding down South. I can't wait for him to be here again so I can prattle on about it for hours

[dandysmom]

What a happy story!!! I was feeling down about Winston, & this just made me smile...!!

[logoes]

I'm delighted with your news Snoof -I know the feeling well from when I had a rescue dog, and even India, who has only just started going out, was startled by something in the garden and ran back to ME, and not straight indoors, its such a wonderful feeling isn't it to know that you have gained their trust. Logoes.

[Mags]

I'm so pleased for you Snoof......

[Snoof]

I'm glad, Dandysmom. I thought about Winston as I was sitting on the kitchen floor and couldn't help wondering if he was somehow giving Ninja a little nudge of encouragement.

Logoes, India sounds like she's really found her niche . Good for you and her

Thank you Mags

[yola]

That's amazing!! Don't worry about talking about Ninja - each little step is, for him in reality a huge step and you're rightly proud of him.

It does seem that he's testing the water (so to speak) to see if he can fully re-establish trust again.

Well done you!!!

[Snoof]

Thanks Yola - and you're right of course. I feel like he's about to start running rings around me (kind of like I feel about my son sometimes - What? He turned 1 like, two weeks ago, he can't possibly be nearly four!), but it's a momentous achievement for him.

It's just that when I tell people in person about it, some of them just kind of glaze over and stare at me like I'm some kind of exquisitely repellent bug

[dandysmom]

I fel very sorry for people like that' they don't know what they are missing! I'm so happy that Ninja is coming out of his shell & learning to trust!