Bred in Captivity

In which an unsuspecting zookeeper is tasked with "taking care" of two tiger cubs.

...Permanently.

Fay arrived to her first shift as a zookeeper bright and early. She was excited about the prospects of her new job; she’d heard the zoo had two new tiger cubs, and they needed a zookeeper that could feed and take care of them, as the mother had recently passed away.

It struck her as odd that the job ad had specifically stated that it was seeking female applicants only – but perhaps they were looking for someone with motherly instinct.

Either way, she got the job, and she was beyond ecstatic.

She lived alone, and her mother lived halfway across the world. Social anxiety made it difficult for Fay to make new acquaintances. If she disappeared tomorrow, no one would look for her – not for several months, at least.

Unfortunately, Fay failed to realise that this was what made her the perfect candidate for this particular zookeeping job.

Hiring a woman for the job would also make the transformation far less physically taxing, meaning the zoo’s latest addition would be ready for visitors much faster.

This zoo in particular ran a breeding program to aid in preventing the extinction of tigers, and Fay would soon play a very important role in this program.

In her eagerness to get hired, Fay had never inquired about the pay or benefits the job would come with. Not that it mattered – as the pay would be food and housing, and the benefits... well, there was a male tiger present as well.

She greeted her coworker with a smile upon entering the zookeeper’s building behind the tiger habitat. He was preparing food for the male adult tiger that roamed outside in his own area, away from the cubs.

It took Fay a moment to realize he was preparing food for more than one tiger – why would he?

“Hey,” Fay asked her coworker, “is there another tiger arriving today?”

Her coworker smirked. “You could say that,” he said, turning away briefly to grab a bottle of water.

He turned back, his hand with the bottle outstretched. He nodded toward the bottle, indicating it was for Fay. “Congrats on getting the job,” he said.

Fay took the bottle, accepting her coworker’s congratulations. “Thanks,” she said “Where are the cubs? Should I prepare a bottle?”

The coworker shook his head. “Not necessary,” he said. “Just go to them. They’re in the maternity den.”

Fay tilted her head. Not necessary? He probably meant they’d already been fed this morning. Disappointing... but there would probably be plenty of feedings and other tasks to come.

She headed for the door her coworker had pointed to, but he stopped her.

“One more thing,” he said. “Finish that bottle before you go in. No food near the animals, and you don’t want to go until lunchtime without drinking.”

Fay eyed the bottle. “It’s just water,” she said. She noticed the label; it featured acute artwork of a tiger, and a language she couldn’t read.

“It’s also plastic,” the other zookeeper retorted, and Fay relented. She unscrewed the cap and took a big sip, surprised at the hint of flavour the water seemed to have.

It tasted... odd. Not gross enough for her to instantly try to spit it out, but it didn’t taste like normal water, either.

She dismissed the thought, tossed the bottle in the recycling bin, and went to work.

The cubs were asleep in the den, barely reacting when Fay walked into the room.

As she closed the door, one of the cubs perked up, its nose sniffing the air.

“Hi there, little one,” Fay said, approaching the awakened cub, “I’m Fay.”

She wasn’t sure whether or not she’d be allowed to pet the cubs, but no one had told her not to.

She sat down, allowing the cub to approach her. It sniffed at her briefly, before licking her arm. The other cub, now awake too, had joined its sibling in sniffing their new guardian.

The second cub climbed on top of Fay, proceeding to sink its claws into her belly like it was making biscuits.

“N-no,” Fay whimpered, “cut that out, please.”

She grabbed the cub, lifting it off her belly. It weighed almost as much as an adult domestic cat already. “If you’re hungry, we can get you a bottle...”

Fay let out a surprised gasp as the other cub suddenly pressed its face against her breast, trying to suckle on her nipple. She quickly got up, heading back for the door.

“..What are you two doing!?” she scoffed, startled at the odd behaviour. Obviously, the poor babies were starving, and her coworker was wrong about a bottle not being necessary.

She turned around, only to find the door had been locked from the outside. Clearly, her coworker was behind this. Why would he lock the door?

Fay banged on the door, but no reply came. He was probably outside.

She reached a hand to her chest: something felt off - as she grabbed, Fay found a wet spot on her brand new uniform.

And... a much larger, rock solid nipple underneath that was oozing liquid.

Fay looked down, noticing her blouse was moments away from bursting a button. Not only was she lactating – her breasts had grown several sizes. The lactation made them sensitive to the touch... no wonder the cub had tried to drink. It smelled the milk.

The other cub’s claws seemed to have had an effect, too – four more bumps were growing beneath her breasts, nipples already forming visibly beneath her blouse, as they immediately left a wet spot as the milk poured from them.

The blouse popped its first button – one of the cubs tried to swat it out of the air as it went flying.

The other was busy lapping up the milk that was seeping through the fabric onto the floor.

Fay moaned as her breasts rubbed against her blouse, now six of them – she had to take off her clothing. She was overheating in this outfit.

She grabbed her blouse, her suddenly long and sharp nails tearing through the fabric as she pulled. The blouse came apart like it was nothing, and Fay could admire the new assets she was growing.

Now, they still looked human. But soon, they would be covered in fur.

“M...my boys...” Fay mumbled. “They need to drink.”

She knelt down, her front breasts resting on the floor as she did. She lay on her side to allow the cubs to access her.

They didn’t hesitate to approach, and the suckling of the two felines would speed up their new mother’s transformation by tenfold.

The seams on her jeans popped and the fabric ripped as her thigh muscles grew and a tail burst out from underneath the waist of the pants.

Fur covered her cheeks as the shape of her jaw changed, sharp teeth growing as the shape and colour of her eyeballs permanently altered.

Fay failed to notice her coworker walking in; he crouched down beside her, removing the pants from her bottom half. This proved to be a challenge, as her new paws had outgrown her shoes, but the claws had penetrated the soles. The other zookeeper dislodged the shoes and what remained of the pants, revealing two muscular feline hind legs. Orange and white fur was beginning to cover her body, and the zookeeper was hesitant to get closer and remove the tattered panties, but as the transforming tigress shifted, it proved not necessary. The waistband, stretched to its limits, fell apart as the fur thickened beneath it. The panties loosely fell to the floor on each side of the tigress’s body.

“You’re going to do just fine,” the zookeeper smirked, quickly making his way out of the den, once again locking the door behind.

The cubs followed along Fay’s body as her breasts decreased in size, taking up their place on her abdomen. Fay’s nose had turned pink, and her muzzle had fully formed – fully covered in fur and whiskers.

The cubs finished drinking just as their adoptive mother’s fur stopped stirring. Her transformation was complete.

Fay grabbed hold of one of the cubs with her front paws, beginning to groom the young tiger’s fur. She didn’t even remember being a human at this point, and as far as she was concerned, had always been a tiger bred in captivity at this zoo.

On the other side, the male tiger paced around in his enclosure. He could smell her – the zookeepers had been talking about the arrival of a female tiger to take care of the cubs.

This meant that he’d have to wait a while – the zookeepers wouldn’t allow her to get pregnant again whilst these cubs needed to be taken care of.

But as soon as the cubs were grown and off to a different zoo, she would be all his.