Thousands of years of developing tool use so we can mass-manufacture protective gloves in order to pet porcupines.
Also, porcupines are SICK. I attempted to shoo one off of a rural highway with a broom handle at three in the morning once because I didn't want to run it over, and it seriously SCREEEEEEEEEEE'd and began smashing its face against my door again and again and again and again until I drove away. Have you ever heard a rabbit scream? It was like that but more horrifying.