DOMESTIC HORNTAIL CAT - TIMELINE #9613076

(Timeline Tuesday #150)

Domestic horntail cats are a breed of cat that is nearly identical to the household felines of this timeline. The creatures are small, with four legs and a sleek, fur covered body. They behave in almost every way like the typical house cat you would find at a pet store or shelter. Typically, these creatures are a reddish brown hue, but several other feline patterns have been found, including black cats and tabbies.

There are two cosmetic differences that give away a domestic horntail cat. The first is a very small detail that is only noticed on close inspection: horntail cats only have three claws on each paw. The second difference is much more obvious, and it pertains to this breed’s incredibly specific tail.

Unlike the natural cats of this timeline, domestic horntails have a wide cone resting at the end of their tail. The open horn connects to a hollow tube that stretches all the way back into the cat’s central body, at which point it attaches to several disk-like bones. Through an internal biological mechanism, horntail cats can select from any of this discs, using them to play songs much like the grooves you would find on a vinyl. This music then pumps out from the end of the cat, amplified by this horn.

Domestic horntail cats use these various songs to communicate emotional states. If they are upset about something they will play a sad, mournful tune, and if they are joyful, they will play something upbeat. The songs of a horntail cat are all unique to that feline, much like a fingerprint, but they all have a particular, otherworldly quality due to the fact that none of these tunes are actually produced with human instrumentation. Each creature is born with anywhere between three to five internal songs, and they typically grow a new song disk every year of their life.