Scratching Post

Several days after the initial encounter, Scram, Tessa’s unwelcomed Vader-black tabby cat, still slinked around her apartment. For the past couple of days it was the center of her misfortune. It kept knocking things over, drinking all the milk, and it claimed Tessa’s favorite part of the bed. Scram was a diva, and it caused great frustration. However, she could never bring herself to throw it out. Whether it was its silky smooth fur, adorable purrs, or simply providing company on the stormy nights, Scram had dug its way into a spot in Tessa’s heart.

As Tessa cleaned out her painting canvases that apparently served as Scram’s litterbox, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Margot: Free today. Wanna hang?

Tessa sprung at the opportunity. She needed to get out of her apartment. She brushed her hair back, grabbed her hoodie, and stepped out the door, taking good care to make sure it was locked. Satisfied, she headed out of the Meridian. Ten minutes later, she was by Margot’s side drinking a refreshing cup of Suzy Sweet’s unsweet tea.

“Just what I needed,” Tessa sighed.

“Cat giving ya’ trouble?” Margot asked.

Tessa snorted. “You have no idea.”

Margot shrugged. “Well, maybe it just doesn’t feel at home yet. Hey! Jim’s Pet Shop is right next door. Maybe you can pick up something for Scram there?”

“Like what?”

“I dunno… A scratching post?”

“Eh, works for me,” Tessa remarked, getting up. “Anything to get Scram off my case.”

They both headed out the door, took a sharp right, and entered Jim’s Pet Shop. They were instantly greeted with a swoosh of feathers.

“Awk! Welcome to Jim’s!”

A bright scarlet macaw sat perched on a bird ledge next to the entrance. It wore a blue vest with a Jim’s Pet Shop logo and a nametag that read “Katherine”. It whistled and flew away. Aghast, Tessa and Margot looked around the store. There were dozens of animals, from dogs to iguanas, milling about the shop. Each of them had a vest with a name tag.

“Hello potential customers!”

A brown-haired, middle aged male human strided over to them. He wore a blue vest with the name “Jim.”

“How may I help you on this fine day?” he asked enthusiastically.

“Uh- yes,” Tessa started slowly. “I need a scratching post for my cat.”

“Well right this way,” Jim said, wheeling them over to an aisle full of well composed, building-like scratching post sets.

“So what kind of cat do you have?” he inquired. He smirked and added, “Tabby, I assume?”

“Yeah! How did you know?”

Jim chuckled. “Lucky guess.”

“So, what should I get?”

“Well, the tabbies around St.--- have quite particular scratching post habits,” Jim said. “So it depends. Is your cat a boy or a girl?”

Tessa paused, thinking. “I don’t know,” she replied, “what’s the difference?”

“The girls aren’t happy until all the parts are used and the post is a palace,” he said. “The guys… they just screw around with only a piece of it.”

With Scram, it’s better safe than sorry, Tessa thought. “What the heck. I’ll take the full set.”

“Oh, good-.” Jim started as his phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the name. “Oop! I better take this. Melvin will check you out.”

Jim gestured over to a rather bored looking chimpanzee at the checkout desk. He turned heel and marched away, muttering into the phone.

Tessa gave Margot a puzzled look. Margot shrugged and the duo took the scratching post to checkout.

“What do you mean there’s an ostrich and tigon on the loose?!”

They turned around and saw Jim talking on the phone frenziedly. He clutched his hair, obviously distressed. “They called animal control?! They’ll be put down! Those animals need homes-- and jobs! Hang on! I’m coming!”

Jim dashed out of the door. Margot pointed after Jim and twirled her finger around her ear. Loco. Tessa giggled. Melvin expertly scanned the crate and rang Tessa up for $100. With a cringe, she paid with her debit card. Post in hand, she broke with Margot and headed home.

Tessa returned her room in the Meridian to discover a small orange tabby cat lying on her kitchen table. The table was scratched with odd circles and the cat was covered in what appeared to be sand. Scram stood over it with its paws on the orange tabby’s back like some furry massage master. It gawked at Tessa and took its paws off.

“How did you get in here?” Tessa yelped at the orange cat.

The cat scurried over to Tessa and looked up at her expectantly.

“No, this is not for you!” Tessa yelled, putting the scratching post down.

The cat purred. Or at least it tried. It came out as a weak husky growl.

“Nope, don’t try that with me!” Tessa shouted. She grabbed the cat ready to shoo it out the door, until she noticed it had a collar.

“Oh thank goodness, you have an owner,” Tessa said, looking at the name tag. It read: Biscuits & Mustard. She flipped it over, finding more text: Eleanor Reid. The Meridian Rm. 606. “And she’s upstairs.”

Biscuits & Mustard began growing restless in her arms.

“It’s okay, I’m going to bring you back to your owner.” Tessa juggled the cat in her arms and stepped out the door. “Stay here Scram.”

She hustled up the stairs and knocked on room 606. After a few moments, a woman cracked open the door and peeked outside.

“Hi, are you Eleanor Reid?” she asked.

The woman nodded and opened the door more widely. Tessa showed the orange tabby.

“I have your cat.”

“Dang Biscuits & Mustard, would it kill you to stay put?” Eleanor sighed, grabbing the cat. “Thanks a million. I tell you, he’s as dumb as a rock.”

“No prob,” Tessa replied, walking down to room 505 as Eleanor closed the door. She got inside to see the mess Scram had made had vanished. All of it, except for the circle scratches on the table. While Tessa was gone, Scram had also gotten into the scratching post and squeezed itself into the tube piece. It promptly began rolling around the floor, having the time of its life.

Tessa glanced at the other, neglected pieces of the cat scratcher she spent so much on.

“Huh, so you’re a boy I guess.”

Scram crawled out of the tube. He meowed and began playfully scratching at the post.