The first clue I had that something was wrong was the claw that scratched my ear. Had I fallen asleep holding something sharp? A quick glance shows not an empty hand but a fur-covered paw.

I must be hallucinating. Did I drink too much the night before?

I stretch in ways that I’ve never stretched before and climb to my feet. Or I thought I did. Instead I’m standing on four paws, much nearer to the ground than I’m used to being. I turn my head. No clothes but I’m covered in thick white fur. A tail... MY tail... flicks behind me.

I don’t know how. I don’t know why. But I cannot deny the fact that I’m a cat.

I love cats. If I could choose to be any animal, a cat would be exactly what I would pick. I’m slowly getting over the shock. I mean it could be so much worse.

And then it is. Worse, I mean.

A growl, so close I can feel the vibrations through my whiskers. And what a stinky breath to accompany it. I must have inherited cat sense along with this feline body, for I know before lifting my head that I’m going to be staring right into the jaws of my biggest enemy.

The hulk of a dog thrusts its head towards me, lips pulled back to better show its teeth. My back arches and my fur stands up. Without so much as a single thought my paw shoots out, claws extended, to land on the brute’s nose. And this dog is a brute. Five times the size of me, it’s pushing me into a corner from which I’ll have no way of escaping. I need to think, and think quickly.

The problem is my human mind is still in charge of reasoning. I cannot think like a cat at all. One step backwards and I feel the fence against my tail. The only option is to give in to instinct, let the feline in me quash the human. This cat that is me has been in the same position before and has lived through it.

Don’t think! Just react.

And I find myself leaping up into the air. Higher. Higher. The dog rises up to snap at me, so close but not close enough. I’m on the wall above the dog who is barking out his frustration at me. Too bad. I lift a paw and casually give my face a wash.

Jumping down the other side, I land awkwardly on my own two human feet. I give myself a quick once over to make sure everything is in place and then I make a dash towards my own front door. Only when I’m safe inside will I stop to try and figure out what happened.