Chapter 3

I was running as swiftly as I could, disappointed in the way things had turned out in Louis Markum's lab. I had hopes of changing myself back, but instead came away empty handed except for the knowledge that Markum had created something that went beyond changing people from humans to animals and back again. One thing that bothered me — why cats and dogs? Why couldn't Dr. Stevens have made something that changed me into a lion? I could have possibly defeated Markum if I had been a lion or tiger. Oh well, I could not ask the scientist now. He couldn't understand the words, "Mew meow meow mew mew."

And despite the fact that I had run fast and far in a short amount of time, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was being followed. As I stopped at a broken mirror sitting on the side of one of the alleyways, I took a moment to study myself. It was the first time I had seen my image as a cat. I was very pretty as far as cats went. I was white tipped in most places except for around my ears and splotches on my flanks that were covered in a tabby-like brown fur. Pretty cute. My eyes had retained their blueness, and the slits for pupils gave me a cat-like appearance, but were definitely odd to me. It was like staring at a strange cat, not myself. I lifted my paw, watching with humor as the image lifted along with me. That's when I spotted a black and white cat behind me, staring into the mirror as if seeing a reflecting glass for the first time.

I spun around, alarmed that I had let another tom cat sneak up on me, but he did not seem to have the feral glow within his eyes of one seeking a mating. Instead the brown splotches that served as his eyes studied me curiously, almost human-like. It was freaky.

"Mew?" I questioned, cocking my head to the side as I watched him come to the mirror.

He spent a few moments staring at himself and then let out a heart-rending yowl, cowering with his head between his legs. I pitied the creature — clearly he thought the image in the mirror was another male there to attack him. I am not sure why I did it, but I sat next to him and began to lick his fur, attempting to sooth and calm him.

The expression on the tom cat's face was one of curiosity and surprise when he felt my raspy tongue stroke his fur. He closed his eyes and began to purr, opening them wide in shock as if started by the sound of his own purring. I wondered what had happened to make the male so nervous and disjointed. Had he been hit by a car? I decided he would come to the warehouse with me. At least there, he could recover and hopefully find his way back home again.

"Mew." I stated plainly, standing and pointing with my nose down the alley that would lead us home. Home? Perish the thought! My home was in a small cozy apartment where my clothes and meager belongings remained. I hoped I would some day walk through the apartment door on two legs again.

Some day.

"Bmeik fie vee!" The words were unrecognizable but the voice was triumphant as I spun to stare up at a very tall human man as he brought something down swiftly around my neck. He had a companion who did the same to the black and white cat beside me.

"Rowww!" I hissed, trying to tell 'Tom' to flee, but it was too late and the man's companion had the noose tight around his neck as well. They pulled and lifted us, as we screamed and fought them, into the tiny cages in the back of a truck. I knew immediately it was Animal Control. Not good.

When they brought us the short distance from the alley to the shelter, I feared for my life. If someone did not adopt me, I'd be dead within a week. Three days. Three days until I met my doom trapped in the body of a brown and white cat. I squirmed, using teeth and claws as I tried to free myself from their grasp, but the man wore thick gloves in preparation for my struggles. I was thrust into a decent-sized cage where I shook myself, full of wrath and indignity at being handled so roughly. I jerked my body around to note I was not alone. They had put me in with two males. Uh oh.

I relaxed marginally when I recognized the black and white as my new found friend in the alley I had mentally named "Tom". (Brilliant name of course) I sent a warning hiss to the new male, who had the same familiar feral look in his eye I had grown accustomed to and hated so much. The male, a big gray tabby, backed up slightly, eyeing me warily but with interest. I knew I could not let my guard down with him, which would wear me out. I pushed my hindquarters to the front of the cage so that I was facing him and shut my eyes, wishing the nightmare to end. I wished I could wake up in my bed, Angel licking my face, the sun warming the room.

My eyes flashed open when I felt something warm on my fur and realized with a start that "Tom" was licking my cheek to try and comfort me. Automatically I began to purr, grateful he was there. His presence seemed to help me and oddly enough I felt as if I were no longer alone in the world. Had I found a kindred soul? A soulmate? But he was a cat! The licking stopped and so I reached up and began to groom him, both of us purring like engines in a car. His brown eyes stared into mine and I swore I could see a glimmer of intelligence, but probably just my imagination running away with me. Cats were stupid animals!

The afternoon waned and I watched a couple of people, some with children in tow, step in front of our cage. I made certain to look as charming as I could. If someone were to adopt me, I could become free and escape when they had their guard down. It was a good plan and one guaranteed to keep me from being put to sleep at the end of my stay at the shelter. But they passed me by, eager to see kittens instead. Sighing under my breath, I forced myself not to panic. I could not lose hope!

I slept with an eye open, as much as possible, to watch the strange male. I could not risk letting him get me in a compromising position, but I had to use the litter box the shelter had provided. I made it quick, forcing myself not to be bothered when the strange tabby watched with interest. I hissed at him as I moved back to my spot, but before I could, that which I had been avoiding happened — he lunged at me. I managed to toss myself on my back so that he could not get a hold on my neck, which was the only thing I could think of to prevent his attack from being successful. There was no Dr. Stevens to save me this time. He squirmed with his body, attempting to maneuver me onto my belly so that he could have his way with me, but I fought as best as I could. I was immediately freed of the cat as soon as Tom lashed out, snarling and growling, putting the other male in his place swiftly. I sighed in relief when Tom placed his body in front of mine, shielding me from the other male.

It was only a couple of hours later when our cage door was opened and a grim human face peered in at us. It was the look of one ready to bring harm upon another - it was time for someone's life to be finished. I panicked and began to scoot backwards, afraid for my life when the man reached in with his thick gloves. But he ignored Tom and me and reached for the male tabby, pulling the wretched creature out and preparing him for death. I sighed in relief, a little sad that the cat would be put to sleep, but happy because it meant I would be left unharmed and unmolested by him.

My purrs began to fill the cage when Tom snuggled next to me, providing not only warmth but also comfort. We remained like this for the remainder of the day and well into the night. When morning came, we had shifted positions only slightly, but began to groom each other meticulously, carefully avoiding any private areas, which was funny to me since cats generally didn't care so much about that. When I finished eating a portion of the cat food the shelter had provided, (which was very nasty to my finicky taste buds), I began to get an odd sensation in my lower body. It was a tugging feeling as if I were missing something. The urge began to grow so much that I had to let out a soft yowl. And then another. And another.

Tom, alert to my low calls, stood to his four feet and caressed my face with licks to try and calm me. I was not sure what was happening to me ... I felt the strange need to fuck.

What an odd sensation! I began to see Tom as something more than just a dumb animal and struggled to keep strange, new feelings for him at bay. I could not let myself mate with an animal. Not only was it gross, but also it was wrong in so many ways! But my body felt flushed and my mind was whirring on autopilot so much so that I rolled at his feet, almost coyly, playfully swatting at him to gain his attention when it strayed from me. I would never have thought myself to do such flirting, and then, as I presented my hindquarters to him, tail flicked aside revealing my open and awaiting moist hole, it hit me — I was in heat.

He did not hesitate. Once he mounted me, I was actually shocked he did not take my neck into his mouth as all of the other males seemed to want to do. It did not take him long to find my opening and when he entered, I felt something akin to pure joy. Fulfillment. It was amazing the spread of warmth that radiated from our joining and he pressed into me again and again, gently at first, building up speed as he pressed for release. He pushed once forcefully and then remained still, lying atop of me as if recovering. My body was pulsing and my mind racing. I had just mated with a cat. I felt dirty yet relieved, disgusted yet fulfilled. But now, I knew he would pull out and it would hurt so I braced myself for that terrible feeling when his spiked dick would bring about the pain that was a part of mating with a male cat.

But that pain never came. I turned my head to note that he was cleaning himself, licking his scrotum and surrounding genitalia thoroughly. Confusion overcame me. Why had it not hurt? What made our joining so different from other cats? I rested comfortably, sitting with my body wrapped around Tom's, while I thought about it further. Was there something defective with him? Was there something wrong with me? Was the fact that I was once human somehow affecting our mating to make it different for us than other cats? I could not help but look forward to feeling him inside of me again although I had experienced no orgasm when we had bred. In fact, it had felt like we were breeding, not fucking. Why was that? What made it so simplistic? I had enjoyed it. He had enjoyed it. What was the missing link?