You can’t pet Cece in the yard. You can’t pet him in the kitchen even if you have cheese. And you will never see CeCe the part of the house that has the dogs.
You can’t pet him anywhere except on the bathroom counter. If he’s there you’re allowed to pet him as deeply and vigorously as you can and he will purr the whole way with a very loud purr that lets you that he tolerats you.
Anya is a little like this. She’s a very neurotic cat. She runs away any time there’s a loud noise or sudden movement. She doesn’t like being approached or handled at all. But sometimes when I’m working at my desk she will jump up on my lap and demand ALL the pets. And every night when my wife and I go to bed she will climb on my chest and meow at me until I give her pets while I’m reading. Then she purrs loudly and drools all over me.
She loves the attention, but it always has to be on her terms.