Rebirth: My Life as a Cat in the Forbidden City

Yeah, I am a cat.

At least, I am now.

Many days ago, I was still a youthful and energetic middle-aged man. But now, after waking up, I have become an orange tabby cat in China.

The good news is that I am still a male.

The bad news is that I have lost some of the attributes a male creature should have.

But in a way, I am lucky. After all, I only transformed into a cat after this happened. Plus, I have been accustomed to a single life for half my life.

Let’s not dwell on that, or I might start crying.

At this moment, I am very popular, with many fans taking pictures of me. I can't let them see me in a vulnerable state.

I don’t even know why I ended up in China. I’ve never been to this distant country, nor have I ever really learned about it. I used to think that if I were to be reborn, it should be in an English-speaking country, or at least a Spanish-speaking one, and I should have come back as a human.

Perhaps the woman I saved on the street in my past life was Chinese. After being hit by that car and lying in a pool of my blood, I seemed to see her making many impressive gestures with her hands while muttering a bunch of rhyming words I couldn't understand.

Did she come from Hogwarts?

No, she was Chinese. As expected, all Chinese people know magic!

My name is Papa now.

When I first arrived, I felt that the other cats here were not very friendly to me. This little guy, all chubby and soft, could be considered quite adorable from a human perspective, so why would the other cats find me so detestable?

Unfortunately, even though I’ve been reborn as a cat, I still can’t speak the cat language and have no idea what they’re meowing about.

Damn it, I don’t understand Chinese either!

Heaven never seals off all exits. You have to understand that this is the Forbidden City, one of the most remarkable landmarks in the world, attracting plenty of foreign tourists. Clever as I am, I always made sure the tourists saw me getting beaten up. They were just as puzzled by it as I was, but at least they could ask other humans about it. After getting beaten up and gaining 2 kilos, I finally began to uncover some truths through fragmented bits of information.

Some local tourists explained that Papa was always late to the group meal times for the cats at the Forbidden City Museum. The staff, worried that Papa would go hungry, started giving him special meals. Displeased with Papa’s preferential treatment, the other cats formed an alliance called "Beat Papa Daily, See if Papa Gets Scared" to teach him a lesson. Naturally, Papa was scared—who wouldn't be? Our gentle, weak, and adorable Papa was often beaten up, and the helpless, melancholy look in his eyes truly evoked pity.

At this point in the story, there are still some questions if nothing unexpected happens. Later, the museum staff explained the origin of Papa’s chubbiness.

It turns out that Papa was originally a troublemaker, constantly stealing food from other cats in the Forbidden City before returning to his own nest to eat his share. Over time, this behavior made him enemies among the other cats.

Among them was a dominant cat named Youth, who could completely overpower Papa. Youth would beat Papa mercilessly, leaving Papa with no chance to fight back and always at a disadvantage. This led to Papa developing a cautious personality, peeking out and looking around before coming out of his hole to see if there were any signs of the "Beat Papa Daily" alliance or Youth before daring to eat.

Despite all this, Papa remained the most fearful and the fattest cat in the Forbidden City Museum.

Wow, what an unexpected yet logical twist to the story. Should I feel sympathy for Papa, or rather, for myself?

In any case, the practical impact now is that I often get chased and hit while eating, and due to muscle memory, I have to look around cautiously before making a move. Other than that, it doesn't seem to affect me much. My adaptability is stronger than I thought. I’ve grown accustomed to being a foreign cat, and to having a few rounds with the other cats every day. Maybe it's because my life was saved, after all.

Enough talk, it’s lunchtime, and I need to get to my little stainless steel food bowl on time. By the way, why don’t they give me a nice porcelain bowl? This is China, after all! And I’m a yellow cat living in the Forbidden City! Don’t I deserve a porcelain bowl?

The cat food tastes pretty good though. No wonder, since Chinese people are known for their culinary skills. Too bad I haven’t had a chance to taste General Tso's chicken or chow mein, and they don’t give fortune cookies to cats either.

Just as I was wholeheartedly enjoying my meal, a shadow loomed in front of me. Before I could lift my head, a young boy's voice reached my ears.

“You’re not him. Who are you?”

What the hell?