Wow, what a difference! 0.o
Although he's still skittish and still runs for the corner, he will let you approach without going ballistic, and he even let Laurie pet him. In fact, he even seemed to enjoy it a bit, as after we finished the first batch, he came to the garage door and begged for more. Apparently:
a) He really likes turkey, and
b) He really likes anybody who gives him turkey!
He hasn't exactly turned into Mr. Affectionate Lapcat by any stretch of the imagination, but he is very vocal now, and this morning instead of just hiding in the corner when Laurie took his breakfast in, he stood there doing The Conflicted Dance, with part of him ready to do his old routine of running for the hills, but another part of him wanting to run and get his yummy turkey.
He even purred and kneaded his paws a little last night -- that's the first time we've seen him do that.
Hooray for breakthroughs! :) Let's hope the progress continues apace.
-The Gneech