The patient, persistent and loving cat caretaker is often rewarded

The Woman Who Refused to Give up on an Angry Cat: Sarah’s Story

The link above takes you to a nice story about a lady who wanted to adopt an older shelter cat rather than the ubiquitous cute kitten but she found that her cat became aggressive to the point where she considered relinquishing her.  That would have been a disaster, a failure.  This lady didn't want a failure so she persisted in loving her cat patiently and doing all she could to reassure her cat and make the environment pleasant for her.

Gradually the problem turned around and her once aggressive rescue tabby cat calmed down and became more loving.  The lady has given up the idea of relinquishing her cat.  I have no doubt in my mind that a difficult journey to a loving relationship makes the relationship stronger.

The moral of the story is not to be too hasty in one's decision to give up a cat or to give up on a cat that may become difficult.  The old adage is that we keep a cat for the life of the cat.  It is a bit like marriage.  You see things through both thick and thin.  When you come out the other side, things are better than they were before you started on that difficult journey.

Rehabilitating an aggressive cat is a bit like learning to live with a disabled cat.  Once you have worked out a way to care for the cat successfully and once the cat feels at home, relaxed and content then the rewards are higher for the caretaker than if he or she had adopted the perfect kitty in the first place.