Pets

She is so firm about setting limits that it's more like self defense and survival for me to not break her rules.

Besides her early kittenhood trauma, Ember is 1/4 Egyptian Mau and has several Mau behavior traits. Maus don't like being physically handled and require very early socialization with humans to accept it, which Ember did not get from her mother's human family. Maus are friendly and affectionate, but have a very strong feline sense of their own dignity and right to assert it. So, that innate trait was emphasized by the neglect and trauma of her early weeks.

Ember has one Mau trait that is exclusive to them and very cute, IMO. When she is really excited about anticipating something, her tail goes straight up and vibrates from rump to tip. It's as if the happiness is so great that it has to have an outlet.

I've been cat mom to 5 cats, sequentially, not all at once. The one before Ember was so touchy-feely in his affection that I really had to adjust to Ember's different personality.