Maylin came to us as a very spicy girl. Apparently she was friendly until the day she showed up at the shelter. And the longer she stayed the worse she got.
They handed her off to me to see if I could help bring her back around. It was decided that she was not a candidate for adoption and never would be. There was no place to release her so we just opened the kennel and let her decide what to do. She knows where the cat door is. She uses it. But she also loves living on the kitchen island.
If we're very very careful, she will let us pet her now. But not too much. And you have to go through the whole ritual of getting permission first.
We have a fluffy tuxedo girl we call spicy!
She has progressed since we got her, mostly angry noises and dirty looks now, instead of outright fighting, when we have to do maintenance stuff (nails, dingleberry on that floofy booty). Actually gets in bed with us now or sits in the middle of our couch while we watch a show (we have one of those couches where the middle folds down for a table and cup holders. It now sports a blanket for her in the table part).
Love you for accepting her and not dismissing her as a difficult cat!!