Hondo was a great cat. I had him for 11 years before he got sick. I miss him every day. It’s been six months since I lost him but I think I’m ready to find a new furry friend. I’m more than willing to adopt a cat from a local shelter but my dad had other ideas.

My dad is Titan Spins, billionaire tech mogul. We live a very luxurious lifestyle. I was born into wealth but I’d much rather be an ordinary 12 year old girl. Over the years I have brought stray animals home but had to give them up because my dad would only allow purebred animals in the house. Even my beloved Hondo was purchased from a breeder for $10,000.

One morning my mom woke me up super early and told me that my parents had a huge surprise. We were going to a special clinic in the Caribbean that had pioneered a procedure where they could clone animals. The plan was to use Hondo’s DNA to build a newer, better cat. I had my doubts. It didn’t sound very ethical.

We landed on the island in our private jet before a Jeep took us to The Lucas Institute. We were greeted by Dr. Ozwald Charcuterie. He didn’t look or talk like a scientist as he used terms like ‘Bro’ and ‘Dude.’ Turns out the good doctor was actually a disgraced former scientist who had been fired from a top secret government lab for stealing confidential documents. I really didn’t have a good feeling about him but my dad was insistent. Plus I really missed my cat.

I didn’t like this plan one iota but my dad was determined to bring back Hondo by any means necessary. I would’ve been just as happy with a shelter cat but my parents saw animals as accessories. The cat had to be perfect in looks and temperament. It was almost as if the cat was nothing more than a piece of furniture that had to match the decor. During the financial exchange I decided to go for a walk outside.

I hadn’t seen any people or animals on the island which seemed strange. I also noticed that the guy in the Jeep seemed skittish as he couldn’t leave the institute fast enough. I saw a fresh trail of paw prints on the sand so I decided to follow the tracks which, much to my surprise started to grow in size. I could hear a rumbling that sounded like thunder. But there wasn’t a dark cloud in the sky.

“Here, kitty, kitty!” I called out. Out of the corner of my eye I thought a saw a giant tiger. It was quadruple the size of a regular tiger. And was that a jeep in its mouth? A series of what sounded like fireworks erupted in the sky as the tiger suddenly ran away. Did I just see what I thought I did? I wasn’t sure what to think. Before I could make sense of it all my parents rushed outside with my new and improved cat. 

The cat spent the entire flight nuzzled in my lap. He had all the personality and mannerisms of the original Hondo. I knew he wasn’t but the similarities were uncanny. Despite my reservations, I was overjoyed to have my kitty cat back in my life. Well, at least for the first little while. Something didn’t feel right about this whole thing. 

Everything was good for a couple of weeks but soon Hondo’s behaviour started to change. He became aggressive as he angrily scratched and bit me. The old Hondo would never do that. I decided that it was time to take Hondo to the vet. But when I got ready to load him into his cat carrier he had leapt out the window and ran off into the woods.

As I entered the woods I was nearly ran over by a stampede of animals fleeing the forest. In the distance I could hear that same growling noise I had experienced on Dr. Charcuterie’s island. Against my better judgement I continued on. My heart sank when I looked down and saw Hondo’s collar on the ground. It appeared as though my sweet kitty cat was changing into a ferocious beast.