Heartwarming / Housepets!

So much more behind just a cute kiss.

Sometimes this comic can make you feel as fuzzy as its characters.

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• This strip certainly stands out as quintessentially heartwarming:
  • The comic begins with a moment of warm reassurance from Grape, as Peanut is still feeling guilty over ruining their Pridelands Imaginate with his jealous Rage Quit:
    Peanut: So I guess you hate me now, huh?
    Grape: Peanut, I've never hated you.
  • The last panel is the first indication that there could potentially be something more than a friendship between Grape and Peanut.
    Grape: PEANUT! We are not "just friends". We were never "just friends". You are my best friend in the whole wide world, whether or not it's supplied with mushy stuff! ...but I guess you've earned the right to be mushy with me.

• When they first meet at an animal shelter, Peanut tries to be friendly while all Grape does is yell at him. But when he finally leaves, the cat expresses remorse for her actions. Luckily, Earl notices how much Peanut liked Grape, which leads to her adoption.
• Here, Fox tearfully apologises to Grape for treating her obnoxiously.
• King's proposal to Bailey, and him baring his soul to her (short of admitting his past life as a human) before she says yes.
  King: I don't expect you to say yes. I have flaws and make stupid mistakes. I want to do this right—to make things better and not worse. Put aside what other people think. Would you want what I'm offering?
• The first comic showing kangaroos Bruce and Roosevelt as a couple, snuggling in their enclosure at the zoo. When listing ways that the zoo "isn't so bad", Bruce says "We've got each other" as the first reason. He has his priorities right, at least.
• Almost everything in the Epilogue of King and Bailey's wedding. Every female pet except Grape is trying to catch the bouquet. Tarot catches the bouquet with the help of Karishad. At the same time, Max and Grape ponder why the pets go crazy over doing something so human and, to their words, stupid. While both Max and Grape sit and relax away from the wedding, Grape suddenly questions whether they, too, should get married someday. Max's shocked reaction speaks volumes afterwards.
• Grape and Max have a tender moment at the end of "The GALLIFRAX Protocol". She gives her teary-eyed sweetheart a warm hug and comforts him when he says he's not good enough for his awesome girlfriend.
  Grape: Maxie, screwing up doesn't mean you're a screwup. We all make mistakes; why hold them against one another?
• Fido publicly confesses his love for Sabrina on national television here despite knowing he will likely suffer being ostracized for being in an Interspecies Relationship with a cat. If that's not true love, what is?
• Despite Fox being enraged to tears upon discovering King's true identity (i.e. Joel) and paying him back with a savage beating for kidnapping him several years ago here he's still willing to help him out — and in fact gives him a bear hug when his emotionally caring side overwhelms him.
• Pretty much any time King and Bailey have a heart-to-heart talk is a guaranteed sweet moment. From the moment Bailey came to Babylon Gardens for good, it's clear they have a mature, deep relationship together despite a few arguments and rough patches.
• After spending a long, cold, and painful night together, Zach and Jessica, one of the most popular fandom ships sets sail with much fanfare.
  A fan at the fan forum: That ship didn't just sail, it took off with dual rocket engines!
  One of the mods at the fan forum: *posts a picture of a Space Shuttle launch*
• Bruce and Roosevelt, who were left behind in Australia and missed Christmas because they had to catch another plane, think they're too late to enjoy the holidays with anyone and will have to endure a long winter without. They arrive to a fully decorated home, from Keene of all people!
  A note left by Keene: Hope you don't mind a belated apology. Lets just say, I know what it's like to be left behind.
• Maxwell in later strips is shown not to be as bothered by Grape's crushes on hunky males as we are lead to believe, as seen here. He says it's best to acknowledge and accept things like this if it makes your sweetheart happy. For a guy who went to the gym because he was worried he would lose Grape over a hunky leopard, this comes as both a surprise and a heartwarming exchange.
• Ptah, the King of Cats, tries to woo Grape by using his powers to transform himself into the well-buffed sort of male that Grape deeply lusts after here. However, Grape shuts him down hard in the next strip when she points out she would take a sweet and considerate person (like Maxwell presumably) over a jerkish hunk any day. D'awww.
• The arrival of King and Bailey's pups is plenty sweet as it is. Then to push the heartwarming meter off the charts, King at Christmas-time doesn't bother opening his gifts because he considers his children all the presents he needs.
• The Christmas finale of "Real Stories of the K9PD" shows Mungo and Sabrina inviting a sheepishly apologetic Fox to Sasha's Christmas party. Mungo even gives Fox an affectionate hug and lick-kiss after Fox makes amends. As a subtle warmhearted bonus, the final frame shows Fox putting on his trademark jacket, after a long time leaving it off, before heading out the door.
• King has proven to be a loving father for his pups, which gives him some tender moments with them. That's especially true here, where King is seen holding Olive while talking baby-talk to her.
• King and Bailey look for a babysitter for the pups so they can go on a date, but fear that the wolves aren't exactly the safest babysitters. Fox makes a phone call to a couple of pets he trusts with King being the one in charge of recruiting the one he trusts the most. One by one, the pets that show up to be hired prove unacceptable to King. He's about to give up... until Fox notes he only called two pets. Cue Peanut and Grape knocking on the door. What makes this so heartwarming also is that Fox gave Peanut and Grape the call first.
• Bino is legitimately moved to tears over Peanut's present in the first Christmas arc. It's a mailman pinata filled with four different kinds of tripe.
• Breel abstaining himself from serenity for "40-50 years" so he can be reincarnated and have a love relationship with Keene is sweetness personified.
• In the arc titled "The Hot Spring Episode", the characters are shown relaxing with their loved ones. Special heartwarming mention goes to Sabrina and Fido, who no longer have to hide their Interspecies Relationship from public scrutiny. Even Tarot and Peanut seem more affectionate than usual.
• It turns out Kevin has been looking out for Sasha ever since he started dating her. He even goes so far as to have her emancipated from her owner — which, as of the "Be Mine" arc, has been successfully accomplished.
• At the end of the "Temple Crashers" arc, Rufus (the farm dog Grape and Peanut met earlier at Uncle Reuben's farm) was revealed to have sadly passed away and guided Grape, Peanut, and Max through the arc for unknown reasons. It turns out he wants to give Maxwell a kiss on the cheek before departing for heaven, which leaves Max and Grape flabbergasted. Eventually, Max gets to tell his backstory: Max was orphaned very young and got chased by wild animals (twice), with Rufus saving him both times. The second time, Rufus had to guard the scared kitten, Max implying that Rufus kissed him to calm him down. After the second rescue, Rufus decided to help take care of Max until he could place him with a new owner.
• The end of "Hearts and Minds" has a moment of cuddling between Peanut and Tarot, where Tarot admits she's not more romantic with Peanut because she's scared that it feels weird. Peanut tells her his idea of romance is them "being weird together". It's the closest thing Peanut and Tarot have to the moment between Grape and Maxwell at the end of "The GALLIFRAX Protocol".
• The 2019 Christmas update / finale of the "My Life as a Teenage Squirrel" arc shows that there will be more problems on the horizon for Keene, but he is determined to continue doing "the right thing" no matter the potential sacrifice. It also shows that, for all the challenges Marion and Lois have had to go through (including becoming biologically incompatible), they are managing to adapt and are still clearly in love with each other.
  Marion: Thank you for being here.
  Lois: You're stuck with me, you little snack.
  Marion: You try and eat me and I'll gnaw your face off while you sleep.
  Lois: Love you, nutso.
  Marion: Love you too, kitty.
• Any potential relationship drama between Bailey and King over Sasha's intrusive displays of affection is immediately squashed without any hassle here.^note To quote the alt-text, "what kind of backwards thinking is this that a relationship should be built on flighty things like MUTUAL TRUST".
  Bailey: Hon, I know you might make mistakes, but I trust you. Your heart is in the right place. How can I be upset with you for that? [ruffles King's head fur] After all, you're only human.
  King: [smiling] How dare you.
• The Jurassic Park Imaginate. Simply watching Peanut, Grape, Max, and Sabrina share their hobby with the local kids is incredibly sweet. Even more that Craig and Draig forget about arguing or even their former demigod states and just have fun like relatively normal kids.

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