Feral

by John Ashley

Since the Ice Age, Ammit’s mission on earth has always been the same: to possess wild beasts and turn them into mankillers. But when he mistakenly chooses an arthritic old housecat named Purcell Hounsfield as his next vessel of violence, fulfilling this unholy obligation becomes more challenging than ever before.

Cooper Hounsfield is a recent widower with not many friends left in the world. His beloved Maine Coon is one of the few. Except Purcell hasn’t been acting himself lately. There’s a strange new gleam in his yellow eyes. And, preposterous as it sounds, Cooper’s starting to suspect that his cat is trying to kill him…

84 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2026

About the author

John Ashley is a freelance writer and indie author who lives in Springfield, Missouri. What started as a love for ghost stories and Goosebumps books turned into a lifelong passion for all things horror, and writing horror books is the bloody, beating heart of that passion. When he’s not writing, John enjoys watching sports, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with his wife and their three pets.

Reviews

[S.E. Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has ever owned a cat knows their potential for pure evil. That being said, you will also likely understand and appreciate the underlying noble dignity possessed by every domesticated feline, the aloof but unmistakable, patient tolerance with which they regard us, their hopeless, hapless human roommates. For every nose boop and nuzzle they award us, there is just as likely a claw swipe, hiss, or side-eye. And God forbid you try to sleep past their (usually self-appointed) time to be fed, because if you do, prepare yourself for a relentless, insistent serenade.

Author John Ashley understands the fragile love-hate pas a deux between cats and those of us conscripted to their service, and it's obvious in every page of his wonderfully wicked story, "Feral." In "Feral," a purr-fectly ordinary housecat named Purcell is possessed by a bloodthirsty demon named Ammit. While Purcell's spirit is bounced into the feline equivalent of paradise, Ammit decides the cushy life of a pampered, beloved pet isn't exactly the kind he desires. Granted, the food isn't half bad, and he occasionally doesn't mind pets or scratches, but what Ammit really wants are his glory days, back when he inhabited the bodies of ferocious crocodiles, grizzly bears, tigers, and other terrifying predators. The only problem is, Ammit is pretty much stuck in Purcell's body unless he kills a human, thus allowing his spirit to find another host. Purcell's owner--an elderly widow named Cooper--seems like pretty easy pickings to a creature with Ammit's murderous pedigree. And thus, our story unfolds.

Without giving too much away, this is a delightfully written story that, while billed as a horror comedy, leans more toward the former than the latter. The humor mostly comes for anyone who's ever owned a cat, but then again, the horror does, too, as we have all secretly suspected at one point of another that our cats want to kill us.

[Rena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, cute and dark short read. As the story goes on you aren't quite sure which direction the story is going and not in a bad way.

The inner dialog for our furry friend is funny at times and dark as others.

It's a quick read but entertaining and well put together story that I enjoyed.

[Crys · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up! RTC

[Micki-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast, funny, dark little horror comedy with a cat that feels way too real.

I’ll be honest the cover alone almost bumped my rating up, but the story holds its own. At only 84 pages, it’s a quick read, and anyone who has ever owned a cat will immediately understand the humour. Cats are noble, dramatic, manipulative, and absolutely plotting your demise. This book leans into that perfectly.

Purcell might look like an ordinary housecat, but the inner monologue is sometimes funny, sometimes dark, which makes him feel exactly like the kind of feline who would push you down the stairs just because he felt like it. As someone who has literally been concussed by cats three times, I didn’t need this book to convince me they’re out to get us.

It’s a fun, cute, dark little story with a great sense of humour and a well written voice. If you like horror comedy with a feline twist, this one delivers.

[Summer R Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and the publisher or publishers for all your hard work! I'm leaving this review voluntarily and happily! Take a look!

This was a quick read. I was able to finish it in two sittings. There definitely is dark parts in this book. Even with it under one hundred pages it still packs a punch and makes you think: What if my pet was trying to kill me. Reading through this its definitely going to be added to the books I love of being told through the animal's perspective. There are not enough of these books and when I find them I just get so excited. This isent full of blood and gore but near the end there is one scene that might have you looking the other way.

There definitely is some dark humor and regular humor throughout this novella. I couldn't help but chuckle time to time. I mean we are reading about a demon possessing a cat. That in itself is rather hillarious.

[Maggie Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up. When I saw the ARC call for this book, the part of me that grew up reading Bunnicula on repeat was like "omg you need to read this."

I've read two books by John Ashley before, and they were both devastatingly sad (in a good way). When I saw this one, I was intrigued to read something a little lighter by him. There were parts that were surprisingly sad for a possessed cat book... but i didn't cry!

For such a short story, I really cared about the characters. I liked everyone! Ammit's POV was fun and made me laugh. Cooper's POV was emotional and heartfelt. I was rooting for both sides most of the time.

The pacing was good and held my interest the whole way through. The ending was exciting. I really loved this little gem of a novella.

This comes out on March 27. Be sure to get your paws on this fang-tastic tail!

[Mickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
Cooper is old, recently widowed, and completely alone… aside from his cat, Purcell.
But when Purcell starts acting off, Cooper becomes convinced of one thing: That cat is trying to kill him.

I’m not a cat person, and I’ve been saying for YEARS that one of my mum’s 12 cats has a vendetta against me, so this felt a little too real at times 👀
This was a short, sharp read that somehow managed to be genuinely funny and quietly unsettling. One minute you’re laughing at Purcell's attempts at hurting Cooper… the next you’re side-eyeing your own pet wondering what they are planning.
The writing was beautifully descriptive, especially when it came to the atmosphere inside the house. The chapters from the cat’s perspective were unsettling and slightly unhinged.
Then just when you think you know where it’s going, it turns brutal. Poor little Petey.

[Chris Hookway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have once again been privileged to check out Ashley’s latest work. Just like with his previous books, I was certainly not disappointed.
Feral takes a bit of a different path than his other stories, and that makes it even more enjoyable.
“But not all that happens in nature is natural” – taken directly from the book, this pretty much sums up the story. It centers around a demon angry at his perception of the what he feels is cancer that is destroying the natural planet. That cancer being mankind, being sho is his opinion do not belong at the top of the food chain.
Told mostly from the POV of our antagonist, the story quickly builds up its lore and establishes the world and history of his existence. There are surprises and laughs throughout, and even gets a little divinely trippy at points, and that makes it a fun, fast read.
This is a feline-dishly fun tale that I highly recommend checking out!!

[Christopher Dahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pitched as a comedy horror, which makes total sense when you realize it’s about a demon-possessed cat. The humor absolutely delivers, but don’t go in expecting something light the whole way through. There’s a surprising amount of darkness woven into the story that balances it out really well.

It’s a quick read that you can easily finish in one sitting, and the pacing never drags. The story is told from the cat’s (or demon’s) POV, which could have been gimmicky, but it’s actually done really well and adds a lot of personality.

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing this concept expanded into a full-length novel. There’s a lot more that could be explored with this character, and I’d definitely come back for it.

[Amber Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ammit is a Lesser Demon who inhabits the bodies of predatory animals, turning them into man killers. When he accidentally enters the body of a house cat, life becomes much more complicated. This story was so descriptive and beautifully written. Even in his short novellas, John always packs so much raw emotion into every page that you feel fully immersed. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end!

[Jamie LeGuier · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ rounded up.
A demon that only possesses predatory animals to meet their blood shed goal accidentally takes over the body of a lazy house cat. This novella is well written, unique and perfect for cat lovers. I loved reading from the perspectives of both Ammit and Cooper (the demon and the elderly cat owner). Although only 84 pages, this short story packs a punch with dark humor, grief and a satisfying ending.

Thank you for the advance copy! I hope Feral gets the hype it deserves!

[Jennifer Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read. It’s cool that the story is told from the animal’s perspective (or demon). I like how it wasn’t really far fetched. I could see a cat doing everything that was done, especially with a little help. There’s plenty of dark moments and the ending was super fun. I’m a sucker for gore, so I would have liked more of that but everything fell in place perfectly.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll immediately say as a huge cat lover, no cats were harmed in this novella. This was a fun quick read. Ammit’s thoughts while he inhabited Purcell’s body were glorious… I couldn’t help but look at my two cats while reading and think “No, my furrbabies love me and would never want to unalive me.” 😆 Even as a novella, John packed a lil punch with the plot and kept me flipping pages.

[Amanda Elizabeth Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An angry demon, a cat, cat angels and a very caring old man. All these elements combine in this story and make one hell of a book. I always knew cats were creepy and sneaky and evil and this book just reinforced it all.

[Erica Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great & fun story!!! A cat possessed by a demon! I feel every cat owner should read this and I'm sure they could relate to it. How often do we think our cats are possessed by demons? This was a fast read that I finished in one sitting, loved it!

[Rhiannon Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5⭐, rounded up

A fun, fast little read of story with an ancient, grouchy demon named Ammit who must make his required human sacrifices while possessing the body of an animal. Any animal will due, and usually he picks some truly terrifying predators. Ammit tries to be strategic in what animal body he chooses – until he makes a hilariously tragic miscalculation and winds up in the body of an aging, fat domestic housecat, Purcell Hounsfield.

Now he must use all his resources and inventiveness to try and off his equally elderly human companion.

Fast paced, wry and easily relatable to those of us who have often muttered “my cat is trying to kill me” on a regular basis while trying not to trip over them going down the stairs, Feral is an amusing, droll short horror comedy that left me giggling and smiling and looking sideways at all the cats in my neighbourhood.

[Leighah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I must admit that it was the cover that sucked me in. But it turned out to be a great little lite horror. The main characters backstory was really well done and gave him more depth I thought. Being a cat person I was worried that there would be nasty bits ... but no which was good. Great little quick read.

[Dawn Schock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hoot and I loved it. The idea of a possessed house cat is hilarious and the execution was perfection.