Housepets!

It was Poncho that did it!

Excuse me?....WHAT!?

Well, I think we pretty much knew this was coming.

So is she a lynx or bobcat? And is her body male?

Yeah, it is a cat. Not the cat I was expecting but I'll take it. I really wanted lion.

Okay, so either Steward is invisible or a ninja. OR there is a mysterious force at work here. The question is if Poncho saw anything or not.

Poor Poncho. He's apart of this now. It changes you.

And it ends on a to be continued note. I'm hoping that doesn't mean another guest comic week, because I'm gonna have a hard time just waiting over the weekend, now.

I don't know if this makes it more or less likely to be that demon at this point.

WHAT THE WHAT.

But I think I know what is happening. Maaaybe someone is converting people into animals with something in order to blame someone else (who maybe wants to give animals more rights)... but that´s just a theory. A HP! theory!

MARION COOTIES!

Maybe once Poncho recovers he can be like "Well well well, How the tables have turned? Let's see how you like being petted?"

And now the mystery deepens further
as some fans get what they’ve waited for;
A truth that’s stranger than fictional fact;
a break with nature, gone from hand to paw.
The same events have a witness this time,
Poncho the confused saw the whole thing.
To start he’s been tickled under the chin
and then, for just a second, she goes..<i>Bing</i>.
And now, somehow, it’s not found on the tape
this latest Human change of which we know.
And added to the Q’s is one new one…
Where, exactly, did all her clothes go?

It happened much later than expected but it still happened

Okay, it's good that Marion's savvy enough to know that Thomas is full of it, but...

Now that is something unexpected. And right in front of Poncho's eyes too. Wait a minute, since they're at the zoo, and someone on the intercom spotted Lois turned into a feral cat, do you suppose the cameras would spot who is responsible for this hocus pocus?

And then the fandom exploded. The. End.

Lynx is the perfect species for Lois, though...

fenrirblack wrote:MARION COOTIES!

Maybe once Poncho recovers he can be like "Well well well, How the tables have turned? Let's see how you like being petted?"

Unless he just falls more in love with her. We know he has a thing for strong felines.

I felt pretty sure that she was going to change tonight. I started to think that she'd become a wolf and be in an instant love triangle with Poncho.

Insert Lockely doing that *concern* meme here.

dr_eirik wrote:

fenrirblack wrote:MARION COOTIES!

Maybe once Poncho recovers he can be like "Well well well, How the tables have turned? Let's see how you like being petted?"

Unless he just falls more in love with her. We know he has a thing for strong felines.

I felt pretty sure that she was going to change tonight. I started to think that she'd become a wolf and be in an instant love triangle with Poncho.

Ah, Poncho doesn't need a Wolf to create a triangle.

And where did her clothes go?

If you head feels kinda fuzzy, maybe that's an indication you need to shave your... hand? It has been pointed out before that it's possible Thomas still has a coin of his own. Marion gave him a window when he turned his back on Thomas, but it's really tight for Thomas to be able to spit a coin at Lois in time (especially with the threat of Marion looking back or another patron seeing).

dr_eirik wrote:Well, I think we pretty much knew this was coming.

So is she a lynx or bobcat? And is her body male?

Indeed. I'm thinking she's a snow leopard from the color, but she has spots instead of rosettes. She doesn't have the ear tufts of a lynx, but if the lines on her cheek are a ruff, that's more a feature of Lynx then bobcats.

fenrirblack wrote:Okay, so either Steward is invisible or a ninja. OR there is a mysterious force at work here. The question is if Poncho saw anything or not.

I don't think Steward is there. He couldn't have predicted Marion and Lois would go to the zoo during school. Even if Thomas could communicate with Steward or Steward was spying on Marion, there's no way he could get to the zoo in time.

fenrirblack wrote:MARION COOTIES!

Maybe once Poncho recovers he can be like "Well well well, How the tables have turned? Let's see how you like being petted?"

Probably a lot, given how animals so far have liked getting petted.

Welsh Halfwit wrote:Where, exactly, did all her clothes go?

Welsh Halfwit wrote:And where did her clothes go?

Same as where King's, Thomas's, Steward's, and (presumably) Marion's clothes went. They were carried away by the plot fairy.

Edit: Added links (not Lynx).

Champion Wallace wrote: Same as where King's, Thomas's, Steward's, and (presumably) Marion's clothes went. They were carried away by the plot fairy.

I like that it leaves their glasses behind.

I'm going to throw a guess into the ring and say that Lois did NOT gender-swap for several reasons.
A. Marion did, so been there done that and it's been a huge pain for some people to comprehend.
B. It would be funnier. Marion: "What you're still a girl? Why am I the only one?"
C. Poncho-Lois shipping is now a real thing without it being as weird. We know he has a thing for large cat species.
D. Lois just doesn't seem like the type.
E. I think it would only happen to Marion as a "special case" and not something that would happen every time because why would it need too?
F. It was a huge can of worms the first time

dr_eirik wrote:

Champion Wallace wrote: Same as where King's, Thomas's, Steward's, and (presumably) Marion's clothes went. They were carried away by the plot fairy.

I like that it leaves their glasses behind.

Gotta! It's only respectful considering it takes everything else!

Lockely wrote:

dr_eirik wrote:

Champion Wallace wrote: Same as where King's, Thomas's, Steward's, and (presumably) Marion's clothes went. They were carried away by the plot fairy.

I like that it leaves their glasses behind.

Gotta! It's only respectful considering it takes everything else!

Another poem for you gals and guys! Enjoy!

Here, kitty, kitty,
Lois, you'd better run,
I know you both are witty,
So please, get on the run!

The mystery stretches wider,
Poncho, what's with the look?
We've got shock and squirrel surprise,
Life won't go by the book.

Why a lynx? Or bobcat, or mountain lion,
Nobody really knows,
As for their reactions,
The shock real clearly shows.

I don't know who's behind this,
But I wonder if it's Keene,
We know he wants equality,
Plus, he has all the green.

Boy, life's gotten complicated,
I might even say it's a mess,
But hey, it'll all work out,
This is surely for the best.

I really just plain love it
When twists get thrown in the plot,
And now I'm wondering what comes next?
Should they worry a little? A lot?

Whatever happens next though,
I'm sure it'll all work out,
As for finding them new places,
Well, Keene sure has the clout.

Lockely wrote:

dr_eirik wrote:

Champion Wallace wrote: Same as where King's, Thomas's, Steward's, and (presumably) Marion's clothes went. They were carried away by the plot fairy.

I like that it leaves their glasses behind.

Gotta! It's only respectful considering it takes everything else!

It left her bandana, so that's something.

IceKitsune wrote:I don't know if this makes it more or less likely to be that demon at this point.

Oh, come on, man. It's super obvious.
PALPATINE'S BEHIND IT!!!

Champion Wallace wrote:

Welsh Halfwit wrote:Where, exactly, did all her clothes go?

Same as where King's, Thomas's, Steward's, and (presumably) Marion's clothes went. They were carried away by the plot fairy.

Darn plot fairy, always taking my best pair of shoes!

It's the transformation flu!

This does throw my current plot progression out the window. I mean we can still talk to Steward and have him be involved with the Milton's again as part of a grand revenge scheme but as far as him being the one to do it...there is clearly something or someone at work. That brings me back to my other other theory about it being Dino-Demon or some character not introduced.

Theories
Is Steward A Villain: YES. (I will take this to my grave)

Steward's Goal: Regaining his Old Life and/or Revenge

Did He Change Marion: No

Who Changed Marion and Lois: Magical Force or another new supernatural character that has not been introduced.

The Marion & Lois Part
-Keene uses Marion and Lois to help the ECP so they can regain his normal life and human rights.
-After talking to Thomas, Lois and Marion flee to the Milton Manor where they decide what to do next.
--The news breaks that Lois randomly changed into an animal in the middle of the zoo. The Milton's are blamed and Marion and Lois are now caught in the firestorm.
--The Miltons try to come up with a solution to prevent the media and masses from finding out about this to prevent any negative backlash.
--The Miltons curve the media by making sure that they are not to blame but bolster the ECP during this potential crisis by making them look like heroes by taking care of the therians.

The Steward Part
-Steward steps out of the shadows and forces Keene to take him back as the media begins to blame him for both Lois and Marion's sudden and random transformations
-Steward plans on using this transformation outbreak to find a way to access a source of magic to change back to human
-Steward goes behind Keene's back and starts transforming humans into animals for the ECP to get back into Keene's good graces.
--Marion goes to talk Steward about how he was transformed. He sees this as an opportunity to use the coin to his advantage and take advantage of the situation.
--Steward finds an ally with a supernatural entity and together plot to take down the ECP and/or change back to human

Champion Wallace wrote: Darn plot fairy, always taking my best pair of shoes!

You know, I just realized from you saying that that Zach is a quite literal plot bunny.

Color me surprised. So many people thought this would happen I honestly thought it wouldn't with Lois. Looks like those people who thought she'd be a wildcat were right after all...

Well at least we humans as a species still have Bronson...which admittedly isn't much but we have to take it. I'm not quite sure he'll be looking to swipe Lois from Marion now so I guess that's a plus.

D-Rock wrote:Title Text: kitty!

"You ain't got clothes on!"

Elwood Blutarsky wrote:Color me surprised. So many people thought this would happen I honestly thought it wouldn't with Lois. Looks like those people who thought she'd be a wildcat were right after all...

Well at least we humans as a species still have Bronson...which admittedly isn't much but we have to take it. I'm not quite sure he'll be looking to swipe Lois from Marion now so I guess that's a plus.

I was expecting Lois to change, but with what happened to Marion and Rick's penchant for references, I was expecting a male red squirrel.

By "My head feels kinda... fuzzy" is Lois talking about physically or mentally? The expression is normally used for the latter, but none of the previous transformations induced headaches or the sort. However, despite her face literally being fuzzy, if that is all she's talking about why is she sitting down with her eye's closed? She can't have been a cat for long, so if someone is looking in her direction to announce a feral (Lois isn't feral, she's tame ) cat is loose, surely they also saw the transformation.

fenrirblack wrote:I'm going to throw a guess into the ring and say that Lois did NOT gender-swap for several reasons...E. I think it would only happen to Marion as a "special case" and not something that would happen every time because why would it need too?...

It wouldn't need to happen every time, jut 50%. That's not to say you other points aren't valid; even if it's a coin flip in universe, pun intended, Rick Griffin ultimately chooses whatever outcome is better for the narrative.

fenrirblack wrote:This does throw my current plot progression out the window. I mean we can still talk to Steward and have him be involved with the Milton's again as part of a grand revenge scheme but as far as him being the one to do it...there is clearly something or someone at work. That brings me back to my other other theory about it being Dino-Demon or some character not introduced.

Thomas's line in the previous strip about an uptick in transformations was so drenched in irony I don't see how he can't be at least in on it, even if he isn't directly responsible.

Mr. Whisper wrote:

D-Rock wrote:Title Text: kitty!

"You ain't got clothes on!"

I was thinking Monsters, Inc.

Champion Wallace wrote:She can't have been a cat for long, so if someone is looking in her direction to announce a feral (Lois isn't feral, she's tame ) cat is loose.

Thank you. This is what I've been saying. You can't throw the word "feral" around. Plus it really doesn't make sense in the context that a zoo animal that escaped from a enclosure would be "feral."

Champion Wallace wrote:

fenrirblack wrote:I'm going to throw a guess into the ring and say that Lois did NOT gender-swap for several reasons...E. I think it would only happen to Marion as a "special case" and not something that would happen every time because why would it need too?...

It wouldn't need to happen every time, jut 50%. That's not to say you other points aren't valid; even if it's a coin flip in universe, pun intended, Rick Griffin ultimately chooses whatever outcome is better for the narrative.

And so far, even Marion's gender-swap has served ZERO narrative purpose. We got a few gags but that's it. For the most part it's been ignored by the cast except for a few cases. It hasn't effected Marion's school day or his conversations with the other animals after Jess.

Looking around pictures on the net. Lois could be a bobcat and not lynx, though the two are more closely related than I though. I suspect we will get answers soon.

dr_eirik wrote:Looking around pictures on the net. Lois could be a bobcat and not lynx, though the two are more closely related than I though. I suspect we will get answers soon.

I always was taught that they were the same creature.

From what I read, a bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a species of lynx. Lynx is a genus and it is possible that Lois is a Canadian Lynx (Lynx Canadensis). For the sake of convenance, Bobcat is most likely. I can't see Rick choosing Canadian lynx then having to repeat it compared to bobcat.

LunarFox wrote:

dr_eirik wrote:Looking around pictures on the net. Lois could be a bobcat and not lynx, though the two are more closely related than I though. I suspect we will get answers soon.

I always was taught that they were the same creature.

They are evidently very closely related, in the same genus, but they are different species. Canada Lynx and Bobcat are different, though.

Everybody's wondering whether she's a bobcat or a lynx or a snow leopard and I'm just here wondering . . .
What SIZE is everybody in the last panel?
The perspective is wreaking havoc on my eyes. The way my brain is interpreting the perspective, Lois has to be pretty close to Poncho, who is right next to the wall, which Marion is on. Which means my brain interprets Poncho as tiny, Marion as unusually large, and Lois as about the same size as the leopard prince from that one arc, who's name I can't currently recall. Maybe a little larger.
None of that can possibly be correct and I can't tell if the perspective is just wrong, or if the smoke is just making it difficult for me to establish the relative position of Lois to Poncho, or if Lois is just that FREAKING HUGE!

Edit: I think his name was Jatta. Was it Jatta?

Nobody wrote:Everybody's wondering whether she's a bobcat or a lynx or a snow leopard and I'm just here wondering . . .

Ears. The ears are too pointed for Snow Leopard. She's a species of lynx.

I was hoping that she’d turn into a female squirrel, but this is okay too, mainly because I called it!

Ash Greytree wrote:That gave me the thought of Lois transforming into something like a bobcat. A female bobcat with that red bandana that she's wearing right now would actually be a pretty cool design, now that I think about it...

Now things are getting interesting. I’m really hoping we get to see a little bit of Lois’ reaction to her new form come Monday or when the strip pics back up. The post-transformation freak-out phase and how different characters react to their new forms is always neat. Lois freaking out for a bit and then quickly cooling down and approaching it from a pragmatic perspective would be an interesting change of pace.

This likely means that other named humans like Bronson, Mr. Porter (the teacher who gave Marion a tardy slip), and Mrs. McGillicuddy are all on the Prospective Transformation Watchlist.

If Poncho wasn't interested before, he is now. I kinda find it a little absurd it could be Steward behind this... so there might be a third player involved. Also, who wants to bet beanie kid will be next? Also, come on Marion, remain a smart kid and try and get to Keene for some answers here, do not immediately decide Thomas has a point considering how suspicious this is... also looks like Rick added a cat to the cast I just realized.Wonder if she got... the opposite transformation from Marion?

So who's the one who's gotta WAKE UP!?