The Cat-Mit: A Love-Hunt Relationship?

Hello all! So I have a bit of a funny story that is also a question...

I have a 9 1/2 month old and I will sometimes use the Cat-Mit when I play with him (for those who might be unfamiliar with the item or name, it looks like an oversized oven-mit but, it furry and in my case cheeta print ).

At first Scout wasn't overly interested in it, and then as I did more of the playful-aggression with it, Scout would play back, wrapping his paws around my arm/the mit, and biting into the mit while clawing it or back paw-kicking it, etc.

But lately if he sees the mit on the floor he will pick it up in his mouth, walk away with it and then bite on it and also kneed it (he is a kitten who very rarely needs, as he was a stray and was found/seperated from his mom at about 6 or so weeks). Sometimes he will meow when he sees me pick it up if I was going to play with him, and sometimes he will cry as he's carrying it.

My question is, can I still use this as a toy and is he seeing this as an animal? Or does he think of it as a mother type cat that he now loves? It is a great toy for him to get out his biting, clawing type play/agression, but where he carries it off and kneeds on it, I'm not sure if he now loves the mit the way a kitten would his mom

Any feedback would be great!

I doubt he sees it as mother, but whatever his view, I think the important fact is he loves it and it is giving him exercise and fun, and satisfying some emotional need. I would let him play with it as much as he wants, and you can use it too, to play with him, as long as whatever you do with it is not upsetting him.