Know better?! [ he can't keep the surprise out of his voice, a shrill response that surely echoes in the alley. ] I know better! But I'm not a cat, okay?

[ though his tail does certainly shoot up and back at an angle, and his ears immediately lie flat against his head. definitely not a cat. it's a really good impression, and nothing more? ]

And of course I'm going to assume you're just a cat! You do a better job of being one than I do.

[ a half-compliment as he sits, tail resting on the ground and curling around him. ]

You ever think that you're a better cat than a... whatever you are?