I’ve seen Badger play-wrestling with Leo in the backyard and it’s kinda like human grappling, they stare each other down until one puts their forearm on the others shoulder and tries to roll them

I saw a new addition to the cat neighborhood, a Persian or more practical version thereof who was meowing outside our window, and might have seen one more

All of which is to say, I think Badger might be rising in the local cat community as a scrapper, which is weird to think about, and he’s been pissier at home, more hissy, including this thing where he’ll weave back and forth in a doorway and swipe and hiss if you go thru and/or turn back

He just jumped up on the chair by where I sit and let me pet him purring for 15sec before turning hissing and bitey again, which honestly he never did before like 3 mos ago, not full-strength but different from when he play-bats, and in response I pinned him down by the shoulderblades while staring in his eyes for 15 sec

If I know him he’ll be distant for a day, really lovey for a day, a little testy for a day, then settle in a bit lower-key