‘It was like something clicked’: Formerly fearful orange cat surprises his pawrents with a major breakthrough after 6 months of patience and finally discovers the joy of cuddles

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Sarah Brown • Writer and Editor
Oct 4, 2026 10:15 AM EDT

Some cats need a little extra time to figure out that humans can actually be pretty pawsome, and Cheddar has been taking that journey entirely at his own pace.

Cheddar and his sister Wensleydale were adopted at around 6 or 7 months old after a rough start. The siblings were underweight, undersocialized, and so frightened of people that their new pawrents could barely touch them. They spent almost two months getting comfortable in one room before they were ready to explore the rest of the house.

Six months later, both kitties have made huge strides. Wensleydale has become a certified cuddle bug who enjoys snuggling and being held. Cheddar, however, has been a little more cautious. He loves pets, but being picked up? Absolutely not. Laps? No, thank you. The couch? For months, also a firm no.

Recently, though, Cheddar started testing the waters. He began joining his humans on the couch and even lying beside them, although touching was still apparently a step too far. For a kitty who once wanted plenty of space between himself and humans, even that was a pretty huge win.

Then one morning, everything changed.

Cheddar spotted his pawrent lying in bed from his window perch. After she asked if he wanted to come over, the formerly fearful feline took a leap of faith… literally. He launched himself onto the bed, charged across her husband, and climbed right onto her chest.

And once Cheddar discovered bed cuddles, he went all in. He climbed over his humans, curled up on his pawrent's legs, groomed himself while lying against her, purred, drooled, made enthusiastic biscuits, and even smashed his face into her sleeping husband's face. You know, normal cat affection.

For a kitty who had never willingly climbed onto a person before, this wasn't just a cuddle session. It was six months of patience finally paying off in the sweetest possible way.

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  • 01
    I've been posting updates on the sibling pair my husband and I adopted at 6-7months old in March this year. When Cheddar
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    (orange, m) and Wensleydale (dilute calico, f) came to us they were underweight, under social, and so scared of people that we
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    ROWN HOwn Vi TRESS SON-STICH
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    could barely touch them. They had to be kept in my office for further socialization for almost 2 months before we could let them have access to the whole house.
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    Because they were not appropriately socialized prior to 6 months of age (their foster mom is amazing but they were
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    adopted to a man that had no clue what he was doing and he caused them both to completely regress before he returned them
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    to the shelter saying he didn't like them and didn't want them) their journey has been a bit odd and unusual.
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    They have just recently passed their first birthday and have been a part of our family for about 6 months. In that time Wensley has
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    advanced along socially pretty steadily. She is still skittish and wary in some ways but she has become very cuddly and
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    affectionate and enjoys snuggling and being held. She's come a lot further than we ever could have anticipated in such a short time.
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    Cheddar has had some odd roadblocks. He is quite friendly and loves to be petted but he's very wary of being handled,
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    picked up, held, or even getting up close to a body. For several months we have been stalled out on him soliciting affection only when a human is sitting or
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    Cheezburger Image 10668693248
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    standing and he is on the floor. He simply refused to join us on the couch despite a lot of gentle encouragement and he never, ever gets up in bed with us. He
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    HATES being held and actively resists it the entire time though he is calm enough now that he doesn't panic and scratch to get
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    away, he does lean away with his whole body and he never relaxes at all.
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    He also gets overstimulated very abruptly and he slaps at petting hands suddenly. He is also very grabby and excited when being
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    petted and he often tries to grab my hand/arm if I try to pull away from him or even when I'm not pulling away and he is just anticipating that I might.
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    Thankfully we're working on this and he grabs and slaps less now and he also has learned not to use his claws on us so it doesn't hurt when he has a moment of
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    poor impulse control (thankfully that has been easy, he has such a sweet nature and he definitely isn't trying to hurt us, once he learned that I won't keep petting
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    him if he scratches me he stopped using his claws really fast).
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    Suddenly in the last few weeks he has decided that he is now ok with getting up on the couch with people. He just started hopping
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    up with us after months of being like absolutely not. In the last week he has also relaxed enough to lay down next to me (but not touching me) on the couch. He
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    has begun rubbing up against my body in affection when he's up on the couch with me being petted. But he still hates being held and he won't willingly go onto a lap.
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    Then, today, he had a huge breakthrough! This morning he saw me laying in bed from his perch in the window and it was like something clicked. I said "Hi
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    bud, did you want to come over here?" And he lept from the window to the bed and came charging across the bed (and my husband lol) right to me. He
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    climbed right up onto my chest and proceeded to spend the rest of the morning being petted and congratulated for his courage while he climbed all over the bed,
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    us, and our pillows. He eventually laid down curled up on my legs (pictured) and did a little bath time. He has never felt relaxed
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    enough to lay up against me let alone groom while literally laying on me. He has never willingly climbed up on anyone in his life.
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    He was so happy he drooled a lot and purred even more and he made a lot of really enthusiastic biscuits and he smashed his face
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    into my husband's face while he was asleep lol. We're so proud of our sweet not-so-little-anymore guy.
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    Cheezburger Image 10668694016
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    Greyville27 So happy to read this! Thank you for taking such good care of them.
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    FeralSweater Thank you for helping Cheddar relax and open up. He must be so much happier and less anxious.
    via FeralSweater

  • A big round of appaws for Cheddar and his pawsome breakthrough! This little guy went from keeping his humans at arm's length to climbing all over them, making biscuits, and handing out face smushes like he's been a cuddle bug his whole life. We're sure his pawrents weren't expecting such an eventful morning, but what a lovely surprise! Here's hoping this is just the beginning of many more snuggly mornings for Cheddar and his very proud humans.

  • 35
    Future-Philosopher-7 Amazing cats and their story is so heartwarming.Great job cheddar
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    catsnaliens This is amazing. So happy for all of you
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    Pacific1944 So happy for you all! Your heart must be bursting
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  • There are few things that make a cat pawrent prouder than watching their kitty do something they've been working toward for months. Cheddar might not understand why climbing onto a bed is such a big deal, but his humans certainly do! You can practically feel the excitement through the screen. Forget graduations and promotions, this little guy voluntarily climbed onto his pawrent for cuddles, and that deserves a full celebration. We'd be telling absolutely everyone about it, whether they asked or not.

  • 38
    Mcbriec Fabulous news!!! The breakthroughs are the very BEST!!
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  • 39
    ArdenM Awwww this is such a heartwarming story! Love when a cat is learning to trust. Welcome to the good life lil Cheddar!
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    notabackstagepass Good job, Cheddar! I had a skittish cat for 17 years who would only sit on me if I was lying down. No lap sitting, but be perched on top of me in bed every night. He was a quirky dude. He also didn't figure out purring for the first year or so, and then he started silently vibrating, eventually starting to audibly purr.
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    clemmie33 So happy for you and Cheddar! You did a wonderful job socializing this sweet pair.
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  • Socializing two scared cats who haven't had the best start in life is no easy task. It takes a lot of patience, and sometimes progress is so slow that you barely notice it's happening. These pawrents clearly put in the work, though, and now they've got one cuddle-loving Wensleydale and a Cheddar who's finally discovering that being close to his humans isn't so bad after all. Six months ago, they could barely touch these two. Just look at them now!

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    Turnover_Realistic This story makes me so happy. Kudos to you!
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    Gold_Draw7642 Happy for you and those little cuties. Also, I do love a bit of Wensleydale and will forever think of your kitty.
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transformation adoption siblings pawrents feral Cats stray rescue
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