Fritzy

One night in a motel was tiring but acceptable; two made her useless for a week. And Fritzy, her cat, hated keeping house by himself. This he made clear when she came home, twining between her feet on the stairs and often making promiscuous use of his claws when he sat in her lap.

Tess’s cat is named at home; later imagined dialogue with the cat is Tess’s mental portrayal.

A real cat within the story; apparent later speech is imagined by Tess.