thank you so much for all of this great information! so I know that Bastet is a all Siamese because of her markings! she IS a beautiful cat!

I thought maybe she had some socializing as a kitten, because she definitely wants human company. yes, she does talk a lot! I talk back to her--"meowing" sometimes and sometimes speaking with words. she is getting much friendlier.

she likes me to stand next to her while she eats. when she's eating, her head jerks up whenever she hears a sound, even if it's people talking across the street, and she's ready to bolt. When I stand next to her while she's eating, I talk to her constantly in a soothing tone, then she seems more relaxed and eats without hurry. she always rubs my legs before she eats, as though she's saying "thanks for the food!" and frequently will leave the food bowl to rub my legs then goes back to eating.

She's actually very affectionate. She just doesn't like hands--I think it's the movement; they are unpredictable to her. She's getting better about my walking next to her although I still have to go very slowly. I always wear the same shoes when around her, so she can smell the scent she's left on them from rubbing. one time I was walking behind her and I stepped on a dry leaf that made a loud crunching noise. She whipped her head around and hissed, but stopped as soon as she saw it was me.

in another week or so I'm going to try to use a live animal trap to get her to the vet. I hope it doesn't traumatize her. I can imagine that she's going to caterwaul a lot when she's in it, and maybe even hiss.

thank you for telling me about your semi-feral 7 year old cat. I figured that Bastet would probably always remain somewhat skittish even over time. that's OK, I'm a nervous sort, too. My daughter says she came to me because the cat and I are alike! Maybe we can learn to calm each other. it's funny because I've never been a "cat person" but I really like her! go figure!

Blessings!
Mayah