Our rescue cat Beauregard was much the same way. We got him from a breeder who had some personal problems and let her cats get out of control, she had 23 cats in the house and he was the smallest and youngest. He was terrified, bottom of the pecking order, very scrawny at 11 months, no tail (lost it in an accident), and his fur was horribly matted and uncared for. He'd never even been given a name.
It took time and patience, but now a year and a half later he is an amazingly sweet cat. He loves to jump up in my lap while I'm on the computer. He loves to get petted and combed, and he has the most sinfully thick and luxurious fur, even for a Maine Coon. He's still stick-skinny; we've tried to get him to gain weight but he just doesn't eat a whole lot. The vet says he's healthy, he's just adapted to a situation where he was low cat on the totem pole and he only got the crumbs from the other cats.
And he is QUITE capable, despite massing only about 11-12 pounds, of kicking Livingston's ass on a regular basis. What he lacks in strength he makes up for in speed. :) This is my favorite picture of Bo, giving what I call the Condi Rice Death Stare:
And bonus picture of Livingston the day we got him at four months old, before he got fat and lazy:
}:-)4
Beauregard was much the same way ...
Beauregard is one very lucky kitty. Thanks so much for the picture of a really gorgeous cat! [And for the "baby" pic of Livingstone ... what a cutie!] I do not find shedding to be a real problem. A good brushing at least once a week keeps coats in good shape ... more often if I can manage. Our "little" Maine Coon was frightened of everything at first ... not from having been mistreated [our breeder had tears in her eyes when she put him in my arms to take home!] but just because of his very cautious personality. One cannot overcome a basic personality of a cat ... one can only work with it and work around it.
I quickly began to assess what frightened our boy to try to overcome his fear. For example, I would speak his name before I touched the toilet paper roll ... and get his attention so he would know what was going to happen ... then he became curious instead of startled. Today, he can be in a deep sleep ... and if I quietly unroll thread from a spool he is on my lap like a shot to "help" me ... He was terrified of being brushed, at first. So, I tried to turn it into a game that would interest him. I satisfied myself with one swipe with the brush at first. Now, he will come to me and sit at my feet if I have the brush in my hand. I pick him up and hold him and brush as long as he will let me before he wrestles the brush away from me. He is an incredibly powerful cat ... brushing has become one of his games.
It takes real commitment on the part of an owner ... but the return on that "investment" will be enormous!