Pets

She does not allow her paws to be touched, let alone have her claws trimmed.

Ember had a couple traumatic experiences by the time she was 9 weeks old, when I got her. One was a physical attack from an older half brother. The other was some rough handling by the woman that I got her from. She developed some serious trust issues about being touched. It took weeks for me to earn her trust enough to be able to pet her. In addition to that, she is a mix of ordinary domestic cat and a breed that does not like to be handled and requires early socialization, which she did not get.

So it's remarkable, with such a bad early start in life, that she is as affectionate as she is. She loves being petted now and likes to snuggle up to me. She greets strangers well, even rubs up against them. Loves kids and enjoys interactive play with people and her toys. But she is still guarded and sensitive about having things done to her body.