Cats and Their Men Masterlist, Part 2
Thinking about Simon with a runt of a kitten and itâs barely the size of his palm. Also thinking about the poor cashier thatâs stumbling over her words when that hulking man has a kitten fisted in his palm and he just jerks it forward.
âU-Uh, sir, we canâtâ I canât keep that.â His eyes make you shrivel up and you delicately hold the little kitten in your hands. âWe uhâ the store canât hold animals we only sell the stuff that animals need.â
He looks at you like thatâs not what heâs wanted to hear. Granted youâve had a couple people come up to try and surrender or drop of their animals like itâs a pound. âI need things for the cat.â He says and you feel like maybe you shot yourself in the foot.
You have a line piling up behind him but no one seems to dare speak up. Why would they when this guy could lay them flat out? Jesus what are they feeding this guy? Steroids and protein powders? You think before swallowing thickly. âI can⌠I can get my coworkers toââ
âNo.â He reaches forward and you flinch when he picks up the kitten and holds it to his chest. âYouâll help.â Nodding off and he starts to walk leaving you dumbfounded and confused. He walks a couple steps before he turns to you with a âwell?â look on his face.
You hurriedly grab your pager and call for someone to go through the line while you help this guy. Leading him down the aisle for the litter and you list off the different types. âThereâs crystal litter, wood pellets and those are pretty good when it comes to smell. We have tofu litter and thatââ
âDoes it need something fancy to shit in?â He cuts off the beginning of your speech with a huff. He sounds a mix of annoyed and amused with how you bristle from his remark. Youâre tempted to leave, your manager can bitch later about you doing that butttt the kitten against his chest meows and you find that you canât leave the little thing to suffer because their dadâs a right prick.
âSir,â you take a breath, âthe litter is moreso about preference. Do you want to hide the smell of their⌠ya know⌠poop better? Or would you prefer something that clumps or something thatâs easy to clean?â You wait⌠and wait some more before he finally says.
You blink at him and he mimics it that bastard. He just stares the entire time you have this little contest. Youâre starting to feel like you shouldâve called out of work. You knew today would be horrible, your instincts never lie. âOkay,â taking a deep breath and spitefully picking the most expensive and heaviest litter that your store sells. You yank it off the shelf with a groan. If itâs hard for you to lift then heâll probably have the time of his life having to lug this home. He doesnât seem to care about the pricing nor the weight though as he grabs the litter from your struggling arms. He shoves the kitten back to your empty hands. âIââ you stumble over your words, trying to come up with something but he beats you to it.
âWhereâs the food she need?â Lifting it onto his shoulders, the muscles bulging as he holds that thing with ease.
âWell she,â you cough to keep from ogling too much. âWill need some kitten food and maybe some wet food later on. A good kibble would be good to add later on once she gets older,â holding the kitten up gently and her little green eyes blink at you. You prod softly at her teeth to make sure she can handle those foods. Youâre hoping sheâs not to young or sheâll need kitten formula. You then check her ears and see some red marks. Noticing the little black specs moving about her neck and you cringe. âAnd a good flea bath. Poor thing,â petting the little baby as you walk off to grab a flea comb. Heâll have to buy it anyways so youâll make use of it now. You pick at her fur with the comb and squish whatever fleas that you find, you hate those little fuckers. âWhatâs her name?â
Youâve noticed heâs as silent as a grave this customer of yours. Heâs hardly said a peep besides caveman grunts and nods. If it wasnât for him nearly against your side then you wouldâve thought he ran off. That black surgical mask makes him look like heâs something important. Maybe mafia or something possibly dangerous. But⌠he did come in holding this tiny kitten and isnât batting an eye at the things youâve been telling him heâll need to get for his new pet. Perhaps heâs nicer than your judgement of him is.
You clear your throat, he probably didnât hear you since he hasnât tilted his head down. âDoes she have a name?â You ask once more and he pulls to a stop, he had came back with a cart earlier when there were too many things for him to hold in his tree trunk arms. It was comical seeing him try to hold a litter box, scratching post, and various foods though.
He doesnât answer save for the roll of his shoulders that looks like it could be counted as a shrug. You mouth an âohâ before you mind your business. He probably just found her or heâs gonna foster and send her off. Better to not get attachedâŚ
You chatter off the things heâll need to do. See a vet, get her spayed, make sure she has no health problems, the usual things that you mention to pet parents. The little thing in your hands is a curious thing, she wiggles about constantly. Eager to move and escape your hands and arms. Tiny tail flicking about and the meowing and pawing is cute, makes your heart squeeze when he plucks her from your hands and he holds her close. You push the cart along and stop at the toys and bowl aisle.
âWell,â you pull some toys off the shelf, crinkle toys and mouses that should help with those prey instincts. âSheâs a sweetheart. Iâd probably call her Bailey,â you smile fondly and his brows furrow at your advice. Grabbing the kitten shaped bowls and hurriedly putting them in the cart when you squirm under his eyes. âOh uh, my brother always wanted a cat named Bailey. Itâs a nice name but if you donât want to call herââ
âBailey,â he holds her up a little and the kitten paws at his face. Her little nails snag on the fibers of his mask and he pulls them off quickly. âBetter than garbage, yeah?â He speaks to the kitten like a human. Thereâs a crinkle besides his eyes and you realize heâs smiling but when you catch what he said you drop this cactus scratcher you thought he should buy her by accident.
âGarbage?â You look aghast. Youâve heard all kinds of names but never something like that. Quickly picking the cactus scratcher back up and placing it in the piling up cart. âYouâd call her that?â
He shrugs his massive shoulders again. âSâwhere I found âer.â Grumbling his reasoning. He glares at the kitten like sheâs the cause of his problems. âCouldnât sleep withâer howling and rummaging about. Made a mess that I had to clean.â
You blink a bit and now it makes some sense why heâs so⌠snappy? âWell⌠maybe she knew youâd get her if she was loud enough.â
He scoffs, âshe bit and hissed at me.â He rubs his finger over her head and you notice the little red marks on his hands. âFeisty little shit shoulda left ya out in the cold.â She nips at him and he chuckles something deep.
You canât help the smile that reaches your face. She plays with his fingers and he doesnât flinch when she bites hard or digs her nails in. He just looks down at her with something akin to wonder and begrudged responsibility.
You pull him to your cash register and his kitten racks up a pretty hefty bill but he pays for it with wads of cash. You donât speak on the weird crumbled bills nor the faint reddish brown color. You simply bag his items and put them in his cart. âIf you need anything, sir. Come find me and Iâll help, okay?â You canât believe you said it AND actually ment it. What can you say, you love cats more than people and that little thing won your heart as easily as she won his.
He gives a gruff nod and pushes his cart out with on hand. The kitten is pushed into his coat pocket to hide her most likely from the cold outside. She pokes her head out to give a complaint but he just gently pushes her back in. He leaves without waving and youâre left to wonder if heâll come back. You kinda hope he does come back.
