I *so* identify with a lot of this. It resonates rather much with the eventual result of my upbringing. I'm far more of a cat but my family are mostly canine in this regard. So I learned to speak dog -- better than I learned cat, early on! That got me in trouble once my classmates at school decided I wasn't part of their pack.

I'm okay with teasing as long as I know that you're in my pack. In fact, me teasing you is a major sign of acceptance. But with folks who aren't pack, I'm a cat... except that if you really push me, and the claws come out... so will the claws of my packmates.