My cat was originally the next door neighbors. We met when I was chopping down a tree in my yard. Long story short, the neighbors had a few dogs and small children and puss wasn't keen to hang around much except for food. She was semi-wild, having lived on her own for some time before being adopted by them. Eventually the neighbors agreed to let her stay with me (another long story).
Things were tense at first with food as she was wild and didn't know me well. Also there were trust issues. I'd take out the hose to water something and she'd jump on the fence and look at me warily.
It has been a few years now, and we have a good relationship for a person and a cat. She often comes to give my feet goodnight snuggles before I go to bed.