"sharpening sticks to poke at toothy monsters" Ha ha! So charming. A couple of thoughts -

"Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me
The present only toucheth thee:
But, Och! I backward cast my e'e.
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!"

Secondly, two unrelated cats from the same shelter exhibit massive stress and antipathy at each other, but minimal yawns at humans. It's a context thing.