[Her voice is gentle when she speaks again; it seems like a hard truth, but she's not being blunt or unkind about it.] It seems to me that you're using rather circular reasoning here. You're not a cat because it can't be that simple, and it can't be that simple because you're not a cat.

Let's take a different tack: If you were a cat-- or a cat-like creature-- [because he doesn't look like any cat she's ever seen] what would change if you were a cat?