The cat was hungry, and giving a friendly purr, she leapt onto his workbench, casually scattering the fragile glowing runes hanging in space and toppling over the small cauldron in whose steam they’d been suspended. Then ate them.

The little bits became part of the cat, and the cat became part of the glowing runes. Instead of becoming sated, the cat became all the more hungry, eyeing the master with hungry eyes.

No need to panic. She’s just a cat after all, if slightly larger. But the magic in the air seemed to drain, and soon, there’d be insufficient available for a counter spell. There was the ace up his sleave, if he needed it. Offer her catnip for now. The dish was put on the floor. The cat turned her nose up at it. He cast a spell, but she cut it to ribbons with her claws.

The cat was sharp, as one might expect that all cats are in Lyxdesia, and magic cats more than most. The most powerful counter charm was, of course, the Dog. He opened the cage.