TF (Women to male cats)

Whatever Chelsea thought her mother was going to say when she suggested "a mother-daughter talk from the heart", it wasn't this.

"That's it?"

"Uh-huh honey."

"That's really it? The big family secret? The reason why me and Sara are shuffled off to Nana's house every month or so? That you're a ... a ... were-cat?"

"And you too, honey. I'm pretty sure you'll undergo your first change on Wednesday night, when the moon is full."

"By were-cat, you mean a cheetah or puma or wildcat, right?"

"Sorry, darling, no. I mean a domestic short-hair. Or maybe a long-hair! That's what happened to your cousin Felicity!"

"Wait, Felicity's a were-cat?"

"All of the first-born women in our family are."

"But why?"

"I believe it was a gipsy curse on your great-great-grandmother."

"No, I mean why a cat? Why not a wolf?"

"Well, having wolves hanging around gipsy tribes would have been dangerous. I mean, wolves are vicious creatures."

"Which cats are not."

"Exactly, honey. I ... where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go to Josie's place for a while."

"OK, dear. I know it's a lot to take in."

"You're not kidding."

***

"So you're a were-cat? Cool!" Josie looked into her bedroom mirror, ruffling her pink-dyed hair while her bestie slumped into a chair.

"Cool? No. It's basically the worst 18th birthday present ever." Chelsea brushed her black bangs out of her eyes.

"Actually, I think it's kind of hot."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Hey, how come you're taking this so well?"

"Come on, Chel! Do you know how much of everyday stuff that people take for granted just sounds nuts to me? Next to ignoring global warming or starting wars, turning into a pussycat seems pretty tame." Josie began to fiddle with her lip ring.

"But that's just it!" Chelsea moaned. "Tame! I'm gonna be a cat! I could have been a wolf, or a lion, or a horse ... "

"Do they even have were-horses?"

" ... But no, I'm gonna turn into a tame little kitty-cat."

"I think you're missing the point," Josie said, flinging herself on her bed. "You're gonna turn into a tame little kitty-cat. As in, you're going to go from being a girl to being an animal. That sounds pretty damn cool to me. I'd love to be able to do that!"

"Maybe I should bite you."

"Oh, would you? That would be terrific!"

"Oh, heck, I don't even know if I can bite someone!" Chelsea cried. "All I know is that in the next day I'm going to be walking about on all fours, with much hairier legs than I ever imagined, and I'm freaking out about it."

"It's gonna be OK," Josie said kindly, embracing her friend. "Hey, want me to come over when you change? For emotional support?"

"That'd be great, Jo. Hey, come over tomorrow after school. I don't know what's gonna happen, but a friend on hand would be cool." Chelsea broke her embrace. "Oh well, at least I know Mom's gonna change with me."

***
"What do you mean, you're not gonna change with me???"

Chelsea's mother sighed. "Well, the older you are, the less time you spend changed. From my own experience, you'll probably change about dusk, and I'll probably change about midnight. We'll both change back about dawn. I'll keep you home from school tomorrow so you can sleep in, if you like."

Well, that's a silver lining, Chelsea thought. "Please, please be honest. Is there any chance at all that you're engaged in some elaborate practical joke on me?"

Chelsea's mother shook her head. "Sorry, dear. Oh, by the way, you'll want to take your earrings out. It could be ... painful otherwise."

"Painful?"

"Well, the earrings would stay the same size, but your cat ears ..."

"Oh, right." Chelsea began to fiddle with her earlobes. "Hey, is this why you wouldn't let me get a septum piercing?"

"Could be, honey."

The doorbell rang. "Hey, Mrs Cooper!" Josie said cheerfully as she entered. "I've come to provide emotional support. And snacks!"

"Twisties? Cool," Chelsea said, grabbing the proffered bag.

"I brought you a gift as well," Josie said, rummaging in her bag. "Ta-dah!" She pulled out a black studded cat collar with a disc engraved with the name "Chelsea".

"Thanks, Jo, but I'm pretty sure I don't need a cat collar," Chelsea snorted.

"Actually, I got you one as well," her mother said, pulling something from her pocket. "Except mine's red. And it's got a little bell! Look!" She tingled the bell. "And it's also got your name and address on it."

Chelsea stared at her. "Mom, do you have a collar too?"

"Of course, dear! Your father usually puts it on me."

Chelsea slammed her hands over her ears, spreading cheese dust through her hair. "Please, please, please expunge that statement from my memory banks."

"Hey, where is your dad, anyway?" Josie asked.

"He's dropping my little sister off at my grandmother's. I guess he's gonna miss the big show," Chelsea said, glancing at the window. It was indeed growing dark outside. Damn, Chelsea thought sourly, why did my birthday have to come in winter when it gets dark at 4pm?

She spied Josie gazing at her thoughtfully. "What?"

"Didn't you used to be taller?" Josie asked. "Because I'm pretty sure I used to look up at you, and now I'm looking down."

"Whaaat?"

"She's right, dear. You're shrinking."

"I'm shrinking?! You didn't mention I would shrink!"

Her mother shrugged. "Well, I thought it would be obvious. It's not like there are any five feet tall cats around."

There was a sudden lurch, and Chelsea felt like she'd just reached the top of a roller-coaster before it began to slide down again.

"Oh! There you go again!" Josie cried. "Wow, that one was really noticeable. I reckon you're a foot shorter than when I came in."

"You're not helping, Josie!"

It wasn't just that she was getting shorter, she was getting smaller. Her jeans began to slide off her hips and her shirt ballooned around her.

"And now you're getting furry!" Josie cried happily.

"Josie, what happened to that fabled emotional support you were promising me?"

"Well, you're getting a really lovely coat."

"Does it hurt, dear?" her mother asked.

"Surprisingly not," Chelsea said. "It's more ticklish than anything." She stared at her arms, which were rapidly coating themselves with hair. And then the hair was growing plusher, and longer ...

"I think you're going to be a tabby, dear."

This fur does look pretty amazing, Chelsea thought. She glanced down at her chest, where her bra was hanging loose, noted with fascination that fur was also growing there. Her breasts were beginning to shrink under the fur, which was a whole other thing to deal with.

Josie sized up her friend. "You're down to about two feet, I think. And hey, your ears are changing shape!"

"Can I suggest you remove your clothes, dear?"

Why not, Chelsea thought. This fur should cover up everything ... Not like I have much choice, she noted as her pants fell to the ground. She shrugged off the rest of her clothing. As she slipped out of her bra, she suddenly felt a brief but intense pain from her tailbone. She clutched her buttocks, and ...

Wait, tailbone? Oh God ...

Growing and growing from above her butt was something long and thin.

"Is that ... is that my tail?" she gasped.

It suddenly swished as if it had a mind of its own. Then there was a kind of rippling sensation, and it sprouted fur down its length. Chelsea giggled. This really was kind of cool!

"Now you're getting paws!" Josie said.

It was true. Her hands were closing over and her palms were growing pads. She looked at them with fascination and experimentally flexed what was left of her fingers. Sharp claws popped out.

"Woah! Look Josie, I've got freakin' claws! Like Wolverine!"

"That's incredible!"

'Mind the carpet with those, please dear. Now, this next bit might hurt a little ..."

Suddenly it felt like her legs were breaking in two and folding up as they turned into haunches. "Yeow!" Chelsea caterwauled. The pain faded quickly, to be replaced by a tingling sensation between ...

Between ...

"Mum? What's THIS???"

"Oh, that, dear? That's your cat peepee."

"..."

"Dear?"

"?!?!?!"

"Honey, are you alright?"

"MUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!"

"Didn't I mention that the curse turns us into boy cats?"

"NO, mum, you did NOT mention that, which is strange because it's a piece of information of which I would HAVE QUITE LIKED TO BE AWARE!!!"

"Well, what can I say? Those gipsies must have had a weird sense of humour. And look at it this way, you can't get pregnant."

"And also, who calls it a cat peepee?"

"Ooh, you've got a cat peepee?" Josie giggled. "What does it feel like?"

"What do you THINK it feels like? It's a freakin' cat peepee! Honestly, I love you Josie, but sometimes ..." Oh, please don't let me have a cat erection ...

Suddenly two long teeth slammed themselves into place. "Whath thith?"

"Chelsea, dear, I think you're almost done. The changes seem to be speeding up."

"Yep, you look like more cat than girl now," Josie said matter of factly. "Hey, did your eyes just change colour?"

Did they? Chelsea suddenly realised her eyesight was different. While it stayed sharp, there seemed to be a lot more greys in her vision than usual. And as for her other senses ... what the hell were those smells?! And why were there so many of them?

She opened her mouth to say "hey guys!" but instead she found herself meowing. A kind of shudder ran through her and ...

... there on the ground blinked a somewhat on the large side, plushly furred tabby cat.

"Oh Chelsea!" Josie cried. "You're so freakin' cute!"

"You do make a very nice cat, honey," her mother said.

Suddenly they heard a key in the door. "I'm home!" her father called. "Did I miss anything?"

"Pretty much everything."

***
An hour later Chelsea was lying in Josie's lap as her best friend scratched her behind the ears.

Oh yeah, she thought. Keep doing that, it's great.

"Well, she seems pretty happy," Josie said. "Listen, she's purring."

I am? Oh yeah, I am. Wait, how am I doing that?

"And you're going to go through the same thing, Mrs Cooper?"

"Yep," Chelsea's mother sighed. "In about six hours."

"Are you a tabby too?"

"No, I'm black and white. But the curse doesn't have any logic as to what colour you are. Or what kind of cat, for that matter. My grandmother was from Czechoslovakia and she used to turn into a Siamese chocolate point."

"Weird." Josie stroked Chelsea's back. Her friend's eyes closed and the purring could be heard across the room. "I wonder if I'd turned into a cat, if I'd have pink hair."

"I don't think it works that way."

"Well, I guess I'd better get home. Hey Chel, I'll come over again tomorrow when you're less furry." She began to lift Chelsea off her lap, only for the cat to gently dig into her jeans with her claws. Wait, where are you going? I like it in your lap! And keep doing the stroking thing!

"OK, well, 10 more minutes and then I've gotta go. Deal?"

Deal. I never realised just how good being scratched could be ... Oh man, suddenly I'm really tired ...

***
Chelsea woke up on the chair, alone. God, I had the weirdest dream ... Involving chocolate canaries ... oh yeah, and also, I'm a cat. Wait, what time is it?

It seemed pretty dark, even though a table lamp had been left on. Where is everyone? Chelsea thought as she jumped off the chair and padded off down the hallway to the kitchen.

Her father was cleaning up at the sink. "Oh, hey Chelsea," he said. Hey yourself, dad. Chelsea rubbed herself against his legs. Why does that feel so good? Who cares, it's great. I could really get used to being a cat ... Hey dad, scratch me behind the ears?

Just as if he'd heard her, dad bent down and scratched. Oh yeah, that's the ticket.

"Aren't you hungry?" her dad said. "Come on, I've got something for you." He opened the door to the laundry, which led off the kitchen. There on the floor was a variety of bowls. Chelsea sniffed excitedly. One was full of water, there were a couple of bowls of tuna, and one of cut-up steak. She looked inquisitively at her father.

"The steak belongs to your mother," he said. "As a human she'll eat anything, but as a cat she's damned fussy. But I know you like tuna, so ..."

Yeah! Cool! Chelsea began to eat the fish, which rapidly vanished down her throat. Oh, so good! Maybe some water now ... slurp ... oh, hang on what's this fullness in my belly? Oh, no ... I think I know what it is.

She looked up at her dad and chirruped. Again her father seemed to know instinctively what was wrong. "In the corner," he said. There stood a tray filled with kitty litter.

Cautiously Chelsea stepped onto the surface. How do I even do this? I think I'll just have to go with the flow. She automatically sat down on her haunches before suddenly urinating. She finished and scratched the litter over her mark.

Her father had thankfully left the room to let her go. "You'll probably be able to work out how to go on the human toilet with practice," he said. "That's what your mother does."

Way too much information, dad.

"Well, I'm going to bed," he yawned. "Enjoy yourself. I'll leave a light on for you in your bedroom." And off he went.

Chelsea felt restless, and began to roam the house. Who would have thought there were so many interesting smells? Who would have thought her room smelt so terrible? Yech, she thought, almost gagging over her sneakers.

She sat down and washed herself thoroughly, marvelling that she knew exactly how and in what order to do it. Growing bored, she went to the kitchen window. She could smell amazing, incredible things outside. Mice, birds, even a rabbit.

She slinked up the stairs to find her parents' bedroom door shut. "Dad, I want to go outside," she yowled. She listened through the door, finding his snores almost overwhelming. She scratched at the door. "Dad, I want to go outside!"

Nothing. She paced the house, trying every window. She struck gold in her sister's bedroom, where the window had been left slightly ajar. Not by much, but enough for a cat.

"And with one leap she was free!" Chelsea thought triumphantly, launching herself into space. "I'm such a super athlete now!"

As dark as the backyard was, it seemed clear as day to her. The combination of her night vision, smell and hearing lit it up like neon. And oh my God, it was like Disneyland for cats.

Around and around she slinked, exploring every nook and cranny. She rolled in the flowerbeds, sharpened her claws on a tree, climbed the garden shed.

It was so exciting that she didn't even sense the presence of another animal at first.
The growl was her first warning. Chelsea froze in surprise, her tail rigid with fear.
From the bushes strode a huge black and white cat. It growled again. "MINE!"

Chelsea found herself babbling as she backed away. "Absolutely, yes, it's yours! Terribly sorry, sir! I'm kinda new at this cat thing. Didn't mean to intrude! I'll be on my way and ..." She slowed as she realised the cat was staring at her curiously.

"Chelsea?"

"Mum???"

"Yes, honey, it's me. I changed about an hour ago. I was just doing some patrolling and I guess my testosterone got the better of me - well, that and a certain territorialness. We'll have to come to some arrangement over that - maybe you have from the shed to the verandah and I have the rest?"

"Oh Mum, thank God it's you! I thought I was about to have my arse kicked!"

"No arse-kicking tonight," her mother said amusedly. "But Chelsea, how did you get out? I asked your father to keep you inside."

"Sara's window was open slightly."

"Ah. That's how I get in and out." Her mother approached her and nuzzled her. "Well, now you're here, why don't I show you the neighbourhood? It'll be fun to share this with someone."

A window opened somewhere and a neighbour yelled "For Chrissake shut up, you damn cats! Some of us are trying to sleep!"

If the cats could have laughed, they would have.
***

"So what happened then?" Josie asked the next afternoon.

"Then we ran around until almost dawn. We came home, I curled up on my bed and went to sleep."

"So what happened then?"

"Then I woke up naked. Back to my human self."

"Back to your female self."

"That too."

"You made a cute cat. Petting you was fun. I can't wait until the next full moon to do the same thing."

And though she was loathe to admit it, that was how Chelsea felt too.