A few hours later, Mittens, in her new body, found herself at her home. She was listening to Penny explain to her mother that she didn't have a clue where Mittens was. Thus far, no one had commented on her appearance, though she knew that that could change in an instant.

Also present was Phil Loth. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, gently petting her. He'd been with Penny when she'd found out about Mittens, and had rushed her over to see what they could dig up.

"Hey, fella," he said to her, massaging a spot right behind her ear. She stuck her tongue out and smiled a dog smile up at him, her tail wagging happily. So far, she was enjoying being a dog.

Phil paused upon seeing her look him in the face. He gently turned her head to look at him again and frowned.
"Babe?" he called.
"What?"
"Come look at this dog. She looks oddly familiar."
Penny came out of the kitchen, her mother in tow. Phil turned Mittens' head to look at Penny and she gasped.
"It looks just like Mittens! But it isn't. It can't be."
Inwardly, Mittens grinned.
"I was just thinking that, but still... The resemblance is uncanny," said Phil.

* * *

A little while later, Mittens found herself once again alone with Bolt. The white German Shepherd was anxious, and rightly so. He was worried sick about his feline friend, and wasn't afraid to show it.
Mittens gently nudged him, to get his attention.
Bolt flicked his head around to see who had touched him.
"Oh, hey, Jodie..." he said distractedly.
Mittnes used her paw to scratch in the dirt. "R U OK?"
Bolt shook his head. "I'm worried about Mittens..."
Mittens cocked her head.
"That cat I told you about. I was too harsh on her..."
She nuzzled his neck softly.
He glanced down at her and smiled softly.
"What's your story?" he asked after a minute.
She paused, thinking fast. She had to come up with something plausible.
An idea struck her, and she swiped away her previous words and scratched new ones. "NEVER HAD VOICE BORN THIS WAY".
He looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and interest.
"Where's your mother?"
She shrugged.
"Father?"
She shrugged again.
"Are you alone?"
A nod.
"Well," he said with a smile. "If you like, you can stay with me for a while. I like you, Jodie, and I think Mittens would too."
She smiled softly. Her plan was already starting to work! As long as she kept it up, he'd be head over paws in love with her and she'd have her voice back.