Quick tip: cats playfight each other and you. If they overdo it, tell them audibly. Their littermates "protesting" when they go too far is how they learn to play reasonably nice. This is especially important as a kitten and critical if it's not around other cats. Poorly raised cats can hurt people.
Our other two cats have been doing a great job at telling her when she’s being too rough. Unfortunately, she was the only survivor from her litter, so she didn’t really have other kitties aside from her mama to tell her when she was being too rough. She’s learning, though!
(copied over from the post I tried to make on lemmy.world/c/aww because I think I put it up right when they got hacked and some posts didn't federate.)
His mama was under a year old, rescued while pregnant from the worst kind of backyard breeder, and had weird scars on her back. Nevertheless, she was a lovebug who got the zoomies when we came to the foster, and she kissed her little man goodbye. We understand she's a fat and happy foster-fail now, who takes it upon herself to cuddle with any puppies that pass through the foster home.
This "little" boy is the most empathetic of the five dogs we've owned over the years, and he has never done anything "meaner" than firmly wriggling away when he didn't want to come in from barking or get the mud washed off his feet. He does crazy human shit like if his zoomies lead him to bump into somebody or step on a toe, he'll bring whatever toy was at the center of the play, drop it in the lap of the affected human, then immediately lie down next to them and get calm. He wasn't taught this, but he has an instinct for what humans and dogs need from him and just wants everyone to be as happy as he is.
Houston has been instrumental in helping our other rescue, a blue heeler mix, make the final steps from a scared former-stray to a dog that remembers what play is, is confident of his place in the family, and knows how to fully trust another dog.
That's actually really interesting, thanks! I'd never thought about how a mother hedgehog moves her young around -- if your main tool is your mouth, there aren't so many places that you can grip another hedgehog.
I adopted a street cat from my local refuge 3 years ago and he's still hissing or clawing at me from time to time. But I love him, and sometimes he cuddles in bed with us so I guess it's something.
AWW!
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