I think an example of that shows up in the cases where a female animal will “adopt” and nurse a baby from another species.
I had two cats once. One was the most unfriendly animal I have ever been around. That cat was my xwife’s. The other cat I called Punkin Kitty. Real sweetie. I got from the pound. Born to a feral mother. Was like a little puppy. The other cat(Puff) use to boss it around.
However if another cat came around Punkin kitty, Puff was on it like lighting. Taking care of Punkin Kitty. Really interesting behavior.
John
An older friend with four cats found that she had to carefully apportion the attention that she paid them in order of dominance. When she arrived home from work, her cats would all meet her at the door. She would then turn on the TV and sit down to the evening news and telephone calls. During that time, each cat would approach in turn in a set order for a few moments of affection.
If my friend did not keep to that ritual and properly order and apportion her time with each cat, they would get into fights with each other, pester her for attention or shun her, or otherwise misbehave. My friend recognized that her cats' hierarchy was their measure of what is fair and just. If she did not honor that hierarchy, she was seen by them as unfair and calling their hierarchy into doubt.