If You Were a Cat

“It’s a girl!” Dr. Paige Jackson declared, showing the newborn’s parents the newest member of the Smith family. “What are you going to name her?”

“Caitlyn,” Alexandra Smith said confidently. “Her soul will always be pure, no matter how tarnished and dirty her outside may become.” Her husband, Robert Smith, smiled at his wife’s response. Purity wasn’t the only reason they wanted their child to be Caitlyn. He and his wife had first met at a cat café, and they had agreed that her nickname would be Catlyn.

“We’ll take her off to run some tests,” Dr. Jackson said, smiling and turning towards the door. “So far, she seems healthy, so you shouldn’t worry too much. Oh, and here’s her quote on quote ‘birth certificate’. Not the official one yet, but it’ll give you some basic info about her.” Caitlyn Smith, the paper said. Born November 7th, 2036, 3:29 PM. The certificate also listed weight and height, as well as eye color and other things.

The new parents smiled at each other, holding the certificate. “I hope she’ll be okay,” Alexandra said, sighing. “It’d be horrible if she’d have to grow up knowing she’d die someday.” Robert nodded and they embraced each other.

“She will be fine,” Robert said, doing his best to instill some confidence in both his wife and himself.

Half an hour later, Dr. Jackson returned, eyebrows furrowed. “Your child has a major, though easily fixable, genetic disorder,” she said slowly.

The couple snapped to attention, fear all over their tired faces.

Dr. Jackson didn’t seem at all surprised by their reaction. She hadn’t dealt with this too often, thank goodness, but she wasn’t unfamiliar with people’s reactions to being told something was wrong with their newborn child.

“It’s quite all right, really,” Dr. Jackson assured them. “It’s an incredibly rare disorder in her genes, but one that we’re relatively easily capable of fixing. Dr. Raine will fill you in later. He’s one of our nicest doctors, so relax.” As if on cue, a man walked in with a name tag that said Samuel Raine (Sammy or Dr. Raine). He was the size of a teenager, but it was obvious by the maturity of his expression and the way he stood that he was most definitely an adult.

With a mess of curly brown hair that reached his shoulders, cat-like green eyes and a pair of thin-rimmed circular glasses, he looked smart but shy. He wore neat, professional clothing that was the most spotless white that Robert had ever seen.

“Hi, Sammy,” Dr. Jackson said, seemingly relieved by the tiny adult’s presence. “I’ll go now - you can prescribe them the medicine for Caitlyn.” She left the room and Robert saw his wife raise an eyebrow at Dr. Raine, or Sammy, as Dr. Jackson had called him.

“Anything going on between you two, Sammy?” Alexandra asked. Robert almost laughed at her casualness with it all. He expected her to be out of her mind with worry, but she was taking it astonishingly well. His wife had always been a strong woman, but he thought she would at least be shocked silent for a bit.

Dr. Raine laughed a bit.“Oh, you can call me Sammy. I’m used to it. I’ve had that nickname since -” He stopped and muttered something under his breath. Sammy seemed to remember where he was and looked up, forcing a smile. “No, I, uh, my partner died a while ago. Car accident - we were coming home from our anniversary, there was a truck…it swerved into the car. I made it out - they didn’t. Still haven’t quite gotten over it, huh?” He made a little noise that was halfway between a laugh and a sob.

There was a silent understanding. The doctor’s uncomfortableness was clear, so neither he nor his wife pried. “So, uh…the medicine?” Robert asked.

Sammy seemed relieved by the change of topic. “Yes, of course.” He took a bottle of white pills and a much larger one full of a viscous red liquid out of one of the many pockets on his white coat.

“Caitlyn will have to eat one of these pills every day right before she goes to bed for three months,” he explained. “She will drink a spoonful of this liquid after every meal. If she misses a day of the pills, the effects of her genetic disorder will eventually show through, though it will likely take at least a decade for the first symptoms to appear. The pills do have a side effect, so that’s what the liquid is for. Missing the liquid will only cause a fever, but there has to be at least three days before it happens again. If she doesn’t drink it too often, she may experience something life-endangering. Just to be safe, try to take everything every day at the designated times. Do you all understand?”

Alexandra nodded and smiled, but Robert frowned.

Sammy saw his expression. “Do you have a question?”

“Yes,” Robert replied. “I’d like to know - what does the genetic disorder actually cause?”

“Excellent question,” the kind doctor said, pleased. “The genetic disorder is called Animal Transformation Syndrome. Without the proper medication, she will imitate the first non-human animal she sees. This will start off slow, with her just making that animal’s noises and following it around. However, her brain will signal her cells to start ‘imitating’ that animal as well, and she will eventually start transforming into said animal, and finally completely turn into it. We don’t fully understand why this would happen, but it’s incredibly rare and difficult to predict. We haven’t found any clear patterns, but we have figured out a way to stop the transformation. Any questions?”

“Is it safe to get a pet during the three months?” Alexandra piped up.

“No,” Sammy replied. “It isn’t safe until the three months are over and the doctors have confirmed that you have given her the pills and liquid every day when you were supposed to. You will have an online log to help you as well, which will be emailed to you as soon as you leave.”

“How long should we stay here?” Robert asked.

“As soon as Caitlyn is returned to you, you may leave,” Sammy said. “After all, you’ve already been here quite a while because of certain…complications.”

The couple nodded and Robert helped his wife stand, her legs wobbly from lying down for so long.

“Thank you,” Alexandra said, and they left the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Caitlyn was handed back to them, and Robert drove them back home.

Let me know what you guys think!

Question of the Chapter: What do you think should happen to Caitlyn? I already have the plot fleshed out, but I would like to use your input to help build the story.