#everyone say good job nima for being brave!

[spindle-and-nima]

It took literally almost a year but while Nima is absolutely NOT amenable to petting she will now let me just walk up to her and sit down without getting skittish, which is great progress considering she used to just bolt away and now she consistently lets me give her a chin scritch, which is also very funny to me that she won't accept a head pat but will actually binky after a chin scritch.

[spindle-and-nima]

NIMA LET ME PET HER FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME TODAY!!!!!!!!

I'm literally going to yell I've been building trust for a year now since I adopted her and I was warned she was very timid. She was so scared and anxious when I first got her that she refused to eat in front of me or leave her house. After her and spindle bonded, she would walk around us but was very very skittish. I have to handle her for brushing and nail clipping, but I avoided handling her to not startle her so it's not my first time holding or petting, but it's the first time she voluntarily approached me to be touched.

Today I did her routine grooming, very very gently brushing out her shed and I tried hard to mind her boundaries and not frighten her by handling her. It seemed to pay off when she parked herself next to spindle as I was petting him later and I hesitantly pet her, expecting her to scurry back when she saw my hand but she allowed pets and a few ear scratches for a good while before she slowly moved away to watch me pet spindle.

I never thought this day would come. She didn't accept more patting today but something definitely changed in her perception of me. This is the most rewarding moment of befriending a sweet little one with anxiety as severe as Nimas.