Banshee Circuits

Banshee Circuits were a component of TARDISes, an emergency defence mechanism used as a last resort when all other systems fail. They allow a TARDIS to use whatever resources are available to ensure the survival of the ship and its crew. They also functioned as the ship's flight recorder. When the Doctor's TARDIS was attacked by the Process and collided with the Time Scaphe, it activated its Banshee Circuits and reconfigured itself into a multi-dimensional city, while the Circuits themselves took on the form of a silver cat. After the Process was destroyed, the TARDIS was restored to its original form. (NA: Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible)