Grace had never left her cat, Tanya, alone for more than a day, but her out-of-town work trip made it unavoidable. She booked a stay at Fury Stay, a highly rated pet hotel, hoping Tanya would be comfortable while she was away.
On the morning of her flight, Grace arrived at the hotel with Tanya curled up in her carrier, her golden eyes peeking out through the mesh. “Her name is Tanya,” she told the receptionist, handing over the paperwork. “Medyo mahiyain sya, but she loves chin scratches and belly rubs.”
The receptionist smiled. “Hello, Tanya! Kami na po bahala sa kanya, Ma’am!”
Unbeknownst to Grace, another customer, Milly, had dropped off her own cat, Haley, just an hour before. Haley looked almost exactly like Tanya—same sleek black fur, same golden eyes, even the same little white spot on the chest. The only difference? Haley was much more energetic and mischievous.
Fast forward three days. Grace returned, eager to reunite with Tanya. When the staff brought her cat out, she scooped her up immediately, relieved to feel the familiar soft fur. “Hey, baby! Na-miss mo si Mommy?”
Tanya (or so she thought) rubbed against her chin but then leaped from her arms and began darting around the lobby, knocking over a display of cat toys. Grace frowned. That was… unusual. Tanya was never this hyper.
She brushed off her worry, thinking maybe Tanya was just overstimulated after a few days in a new place. But when she got home, things got even stranger.
Tanya (or rather, Haley) refused to eat her usual food, ignored her favorite blanket, and, to Grace’s shock, tried to open the kitchen cabinets like a little furry thief.
Something was off.
A sinking feeling settled in her stomach. What if… this wasn’t Tanya?
Just as she grabbed her phone to call the pet hotel, her screen lit up with an unknown number. She answered hesitantly.
“Hi, um, this is Milly. I got your number sa pet hotel,” said the voice on the other end. “I think we have each other’s cats.”
They met back at Fury Stay within the hour. The moment Grace saw the other cat, who sat calmly in Milly’s arms, she knew. “Tanya!” she gasped.
Tanya meowed sweetly, stretching out her paws toward Grace. Meanwhile, Haley wriggled in Grace’s arms, clearly eager to return to Milly.
The staff apologized profusely, promising stricter identification measures in the future. But neither Grace nor Milly were upset—if anything, they were laughing at the mix up.
As they switched cats back, Milly laughed. “You know, if I ever need a cat sitter, I think Haley would love a playdate with Tanya.”
Grace chuckled, finally feeling relieved as she cradled her cat. “Deal. But next time, sana hindi na natin sila mapag-palit!”
A week after the Great Cat Swap, Milly and Grace set up a playdate for Tanya and Haley at Milly’s apartment. They had laughed about the mix-up over text and agreed it would be fun to see if their identical cats got along.
When Grace arrived, Tanya in her carrier, Milly greeted her at the door with a nervous smile. “Hey, welcome! Uh, pasok ka.” She stepped aside, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.
Grace stepped in, immediately noticing how cozy Milly’s apartment was—warm lighting, a shelf full of anime stuff, and cat toys scattered around like Haley had been on a rampage. “Nice place,” she said, setting Tanya’s carrier down.
“Thanks,” Milly mumbled, suddenly fiddling with the hem of her sweater. “Um, I hope Tanya likes Haley. Haley can be… a lot.”
“Trust me, I’ve noticed,” Grace said, grinning. “She tried na magnakaw ng treats sa cabinet ko, remember?”
Milly let out a soft laugh, cheeks tinting pink. “Yeah, she’s a little criminal.”
They let the cats out, watching as Tanya cautiously sniffed around while Haley immediately pounced, batting at Tanya’s tail. Tanya, surprisingly, didn’t mind. She just swished her tail lazily and flopped onto Milly’s couch.
“Ang cute nila together,” Grace mused, watching them. “Like tiny doppelgängers.”
Milly nodded, then hesitated before saying, “I mean, they kinda brought us together, too.”
Grace glanced at her, catching the way Milly’s fingers fidgeted with the hem of her hoodie’s sleeve again. Oh. That was definitely flirting, in the softest, shiest way possible.
Grace smiled. “Yeah, they did. And I think that deserves a second date.”
Milly blinked, her lips parting slightly. “A—A second date?”
Grace tilted her head playfully. “What, did you think this was a one and done?”
Milly’s blush deepened, and she let out a small, embarrassed laugh. “I—I wasn’t sure. But I hoped..”
Grace grinned, reaching out to lightly tap Milly’s hand with her fingers. “Good. Because I was hoping too. Ang bagal mo magtanong eh, so ako na to. Maybe next time… without the cats?”
Milly nodded quickly, a smile slowly forming. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
They sat together on the couch after that, watching their identical little troublemakers tumble around the apartment—two near-identical cats, and two people who, thanks to a pet hotel mix-up, had found something unexpected between them.