History Main / MyInstinctsAreShowing

* ''Webcomic/FreddyFox'': In [[http://www.freddyfoxcomic.com/comic/stay-focused/ one strip]], Damien the Dingo gets distracted from teaching the squirrels about crocodiles by a ball that Kody the kangaroo was tossing. He naturally isn't too happy about this.

* Happens a few times to [[CuteKitten Chao]]/[[DubNameChange Katy]] (renamed [[AdaptationNameChange "Chloe"]] in ''Manga/UnicoAwakening'') one of Manga/{{Unico}}'s friends in ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico'' when she [[HumanityEnsues gets turned into a human girl]], leading to her trying to chase bugs or wash herself with the back of her hand. Unico has to constatly remind Chao/Katy to behave and act like a human when her cat intincts are showing, notably when he witnesses her chasing after a mouse and preparing to eat it in her human form.

* In ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'', Ichigo gets infused with feline DNA and suddenly finds herself snatching fish in her teeth.
** She also takes cat naps, much to her distress, especially when it happens in class.
* Animals turned human or humanoid in ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' usually act like humans, but almost all of them have at least one tell. For the protagonist, it's a tendency to waddle when she walks.
** Mr. Cat is the best example of this though. His cat nature usually emerges directly after threatening his female students with marriage.
* In chapter 30 of ''Manga/{{Ratman}}'', Unchain gets a variant. He has the power to absorb the DNA of things he consumes, which have mostly been normal and genetically engineered animals. When fighting Ratman, every single cell in his body screams that he can't possibly win, that Ratman is about a hundred steps higher on the food chain than him. Considering that he considered himself the top of the food chain (which is probably also where his name comes from), it's something of an ironic defeat.
* In ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' Maomolin is a giant ghost cat that's looking for a human bride. He can be troublesome due to his ghostly powers (and that the main protagonist is afraid of cats). But he's also easily distracted by things that would attract a real cat. This particularly applies in his second anime appearance, where he possesses Ryoga but continually does cat-like things, such as batting at Genma's wagging panda-form tail, purring, curling up in the sun to nap, and going to the toilet out in the garden...

* Snow and Night of ''Manga/JiuJiu'' are a pair of [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human, half-demon]] [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent shapeshifters/ werewolves]] who have the intelligence of humans, but the lifespan and mannerisms of canines. While they might look like normal teenagers when they're in their human forms, they're still dogs at heart. Since puppyhood they've been cared for by Takamichi of the Hachioji demon hunting clan, and they consider protecting and serving her to be their sole purpose in life. They like to sleep curled up in Takamichi's bed, they go crazy at the idea of going on a walk or playing frisbee, and they're apt to bite anyone or anything that threatens their "mistress."
* One member of the SuperheroSchool's faculty in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' is Ryo Inui, or Hound Dog, a scary-looking BeastMan with a dog-related Quirk that leads to him occasionally descending into fits of angry barking and growling. And he's the school's ''guidance counselor'', which can sometimes lead to some awkward therapy sessions. That being said, he's actually competent at his job and genuinely cares about the students, he can just come off as very intimidating at first glance.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfiction frequently depicts Miraculous wielders picking up traits from their respective animals -- mainly, Adrien behaving like a cat when out of costume (everything from purring when scratched or petted to playing with yarn, getting in boxes and chasing laser pointers) and Marinette being more affected by cold weather (ladybugs hibernate). The story ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/5362856/chapters/12384923 Obsession]]'' [[Fanfic/{{Tendencies}} and its sequels]] are a standout example, as is ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/5976262/chapters/13733869 One Thing After Another]]''. The purring at least is canon-- he purrs in ''Prime Queen'' when Ladybug is thrown against him.
** ''FanFic/HeroChat'' has this happen with all Miraculous wielders. In general, hibernating animals get sleepy in the winter, and furry animals develop a 'winter coat'. Chloe also gets overly fascinated with flowers, Alya gets the urge to parkour around the city (but isn't sure if that's from the Fox miraculous or just habit from her hero outings), and [[NoodleIncident don't talk to Marinette about aphids]] (ladybugs' primary food source).
** ''Fanfic/CheshireMiraculousLadybug'': Marinette shows some feline tendencies due her bond with Plagg, much to the kwami's surprise - it means that [[PowerOfTrust Plagg really trusts Marinette]]. Later, she began to show some fox-like tendencies.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': {{Inverted}} in this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction. [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonMonsterX Vivienne Graham]] has been reborn as a Titan, yet she sometimes instinctually forget how inhuman her body now is, and Word of God notes it'll be a while before she gets used to feeding on radiation instead of steering clear of it.

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]

* ''Film/Catwoman2004'' has the titular character start doing stereotypical cat things like going crazy for catnip, hissing at dogs, and eating several cans of tuna.

* ''Film/WerewolfByNight2022'': Jack has a few wolf-like traits while he's in his human form. When he goes to sit down next to Elsa, he moves in a circle around the spot first. Later on, he scratches behind his ear like a dog while he's confessing that he's not entirely human.

[[folder:Folklore & Mythology]]
* One of Aesop's fables, "The Cat-Maiden" involves this. The gods Jupiter and Venus have a bet as to how much people can change themselves. They [[HumanityEnsues turn a cat into a human woman]], and set her up to marry. Venus proves her point that "nature will out" by causing a mouse to run through the wedding ceremony, causing the cat-bride to embarrass herself when she tries to chase and eat it.
** In ''Aesopus Emendatus'', Creator/AmbroseBierce does his usual piss-take on it by having the cat-turned woman not try to chase it, but rather to [[EekAMouse scream and carry on so much]] that the human she was falling in love with gets fed up.
[[/folder]]

*** She puts a bowl of leftovers in the fridge covered in towels, as mentioned in the page quote.[[note]]Earlier in the story she laments the lack of dirt on spaceships and notes that towels make a decent substitute.[[/note]]

* From ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' comes Krosp I, Emperor of All Cats - basically, a cat with human-level intelligence, speech, thumbs, and the ability to walk erect. He'd like to claim that his 'cat-instincts' have no hold over him, but Agatha rather enjoys proving otherwise. [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070917 Using a piece of string.]] In the main comic, a young minion earns Krosp's respect [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070601 by bringing him dead rats.]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In the rebooted Furtopia RP of ''Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers'', Captain Kayle Storm (an unspecified lupine soldier) [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]], subverts and plays this trope straight. When his rifle jams, he clubs a terrorist with it and latches his jaws onto the terrorist's face and proceeds to maul him. Subverted in the fact that he spends a few seconds vomiting after he does so.
--> '''Capt. Storm:''' Instinct. What a love-hate relationship.
[[/folder]]

---> '''Stewie:''' Where the devil did he go?
---> '''Peter:''' ''(uncovering his face)'' Peekaboo!
---> '''Stewie:''' AAAAH!

A non-human character tries to live amongst humans. Or maybe a human character is made [[HalfHumanHybrid half-non-human]]. He does a good job of hiding his non-humanness, but occasionally his species's normal (and non-human) behavior comes out.

* Creator/JackNicholson's character in ''Film/{{Wolf}}'' is gradually turning into a wolf showing certain behaviors like [[UrineTrouble peeing in his enemies' shoes]], walking around a fence like a caged wolf and hunting animals in the night.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/34324690/chapters/85404964 Innate Instincts]]'' is about [[LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime Rimuru Tempest]] dealing with the various instincts of his slime body. The first chapter is about the slimes tendancies to copy the "leader" of their group, which for Rimuru occurs when he is lost in thought and his body copies the actions of nearby authority figures. The second chapter is when Rimuru's body releases a potent scent to ward off [[LethalChef Shion's terrible cooking]].

* Happens a few times to [[CuteKitten Chao]]/[[DubNameChange Katy]] (renamed [[AdaptationNameChange "Chloe"]] in ''Manga/UnicoAwakening'') one of Manga/{{Unico}}'s friends in ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico'' when she [[HumanityEnsues gets turned into a human girl]], leading to her trying to chase bugs or wash herself with the back of her hand.

*** She puts a bowl of leftovers in the fridge covered in towels, as mentioned in the page quote.[[note]Earlier in the story she laments the lack of dirt on spaceships and notes that towels make a decent substitute.[[/note]]

* Myan from ''Webcomic/CatNine'' still acts like a cat whatever form she takes. It's doesn't matter much if she transforms into something similar(like tigers) or if she transforms to a human/CatGirl, but she's having trouble with her owl form.

*** She puts a bowl of leftovers in the fridge covered in towels, as mentioned in the page quote.[[note]]earlier in the story she laments the lack of dirt on spaceships and notes that towels make a decent substitute[[/note]]

*** [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1500/fv01448.htm The instinct to chase a ball is very strong, but she does remember common courtesy.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'': [[CatGirl Kipo]], once she begins using [[VoluntaryShapeshifting her powers more]], starts indulging in more instinctual jaguar behaviors. It's also the main reason why complete transformation into a [[DireBeast Mega-Jaguar]] is the last thing she indulges in, as wholly turning into a giant purple jaguar before she can reliably rein in her dangerous wild animal tendencies risks her permanently losing her human mind.

* ''Film/Catwoman2004'' has the titular character start doing stereotypical cat things like going crazy for catnip, hissing at dogs, and eating several cans of tuna. Yes, it's every bit as painful to watch as you'd imagine.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfiction frequently depicts Miraculous wielders picking up traits from their respective animals -- mainly, Adrien behaving like a cat when out of costume (everything from purring when scratched or petted to playing with yarn, getting in boxes and chasing laser pointers) and Marinette being more affected by cold weather (ladybugs hibernate). The story ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/5362856/chapters/12384923 Obsession]]'' and its sequels are a standout example, as is ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/5976262/chapters/13733869 One Thing After Another]]''. The purring at least is canon-- he purrs in ''Prime Queen'' when Ladybug is thrown against him.

* Happens a few times to Katy in ''The Fantastic Adventures of Manga/{{Unico}}'' when she [[HumanityEnsues gets turned into a human girl]], leading to her trying to chase bugs or wash herself with the back of her hand.

* In the first act of ''Prince Ivan'' by Alexander Ostrovsky, one of the heroes wonders aloud why does he always want to meow when he feels sad. A stray cat hears him, turns into a [[CatFolk human-sized bipedal cat woman]] and tells him that she is his mother, who lost him some 20 years ago. Later she turns out to be a [[BalefulPolymorph cursed]] Oriental sorceress princess.

* From the webcomic ''Tanktop, Texas'': "[[http://www.antelucan.com/archive/tanktop-texas/28 I am a dog]], should I pretend to be something I'm not?". Subverted in that the animals in this strip are quite the {{Intellectual Animal}}s and he turned into his feral self deliberately, just to prove a point.

-->'''Rachel:''' Jake? Did you have too much soda before we left?

* ''Webcomic/{{Whither}}'' has a [[CleverCrows crow]] as a speaking character. He digs in the trash for snacks.

* ''VoyagesOfTheWildSeaHorse'': Female SharkMan Miriam has a bad habit of gnawing on or even eating inedible objects when distracted, contemplative or bored, which she blames on her having the aspect of a ''tiger shark'', a species of shark notorious for its ExtremeOmnivore tendencies.

* In ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' Maomolin is a giant ghost cat that's looking for a human bride. He can be troublesome due to his ghostly powers (and that the main protagonist is afraid of cats). But he's also easily distracted by things that would attract a real cat.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fanfiction frequently depicts Miraculous wielders picking up traits from their respective animals -- mainly, Adrien behaving like a cat when out of costume (everything from purring when scratched or petted to playing with yarn, getting in boxes and chasing laser pointers) and Marinette being more affected by cold weather (ladybugs hibernate). The story ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/5362856/chapters/12384923 Obsession]]'' and its sequels are a standout example, as is ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/5976262/chapters/13733869 One Thing After Another]]''. The purring at least is canon- he purrs in ''Prime Queen'' when Ladybug is thrown against him.

* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasSecretGadgetMuseum'' have Doraemon's prized collar bell being stolen early in the film, which he is adament to retrieve ''no matter what''. As it turns out, without the bell Doraemon will regress to a cat-like state, locking himself and hopping around on all fours, much to the confusion of Nobita and the rest of the gang.

* ''Fanfic/CheshireMiraculousLadybug'': Marinette shows some feline tendencies due her bond with Plagg, much to the kwami's surprise - it means that [[PowerOfTrust Plagg really trusts Marinette]]. Later, she began to show some fox-like tendencies.

* In the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime, Meowth of Team Rocket sometimes reverts to regular feline behavior. Though he's a GadgeteerGenius who taught himself how to speak human language and walk bipedally, he can't resist a chasing a ball of yarn on all-fours or chowing down on a bowl of clams. This was more common in the early seasons; in the later ones it almost never happens.

** When Salamander spends too much time in magpie form, he starts thinking about stealing and hiding shining objects. It's not helped by his magic being occasionally unstable due to a relatively recent recovery from insanity.