One of my cats, Clarice, is about 5 or 6 years old. Back when she was a kitten, something must've happened to her at the vet(she was left there alone once, I don't remember why but it wasn't to be spayed) that caused a total personality change. She became extremely skittish and no longer wanted to be held or touched. This also made getting her spayed when she was old enough to be impossible, as she would react violently when we tried to get her in the carrier. She did eventually get spayed, after which she hid behind the couch for 3 days. She is almost always behind the couch. Since she was originally going to be my emotional support cat, this devastated me. I haven't been able to pet or hold her in years because she would always run and hide.
On January 13th my now-former mother disowned me, so I have been staying in my grandmother's room as I don't have my own. After a week or so, Clarice would come sit in the doorway and stare at me. And now, a little over 8 weeks later, she finally came in. For the first time in years, she's laying next to me and letting me pet her. She's purring.
I'm going to cry.