Yeah, I knew I'd messed up when I saw his fear after I jerked my hand back and yelled. It was more out of shock and pain on my part than thinking I was teaching him anything. I'll know better next time. He started coming around when my mom's cat was a kitten, along with a neighbor's cat, and they'd all hang out in the backyard together. Initially if I got within 20 feet of him, he'd scram. It took probably 3 months to get to the point where he'd let me pet him, and you could tell he wasn't really used to it, but seemed to like it, purring, and pushing himself into my hand. But when the food/scratching incident happened, it was all over.
Cats are fascinating. I love dogs, too, because they give so much more back in terms of love and affection, but most dogs, unless they have some previous baggage, are fairly easy to build trust and a relationship with. Not so with cats. They all seem to have different levels of desire for human interaction to begin with, and then building trust can still be a slow process.
Now smoking Reiner Long Golden Flake in the same MM Little Cutty from last night. This is a really nice Virginia. I like it a lot. It is currently unavailable. You know what is currently in stock and just as good? Orlik Golden Sliced!
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