Bobby the Show-Off Cat

by Ella Moonheart

  Grandma nodded, her face lined with worry. “We have to think of a way to help him, Kitty-cat,” she said.

  “I know. But Bobby has told every cat in town about his huge house and his amazing family,” said Kitty, sighing. “I don’t think he wants anyone to know the truth.”

  “Then perhaps that’s what you should do first,” suggested Grandma. “Convince Bobby to tell the truth!”

  The next day, Kitty went straight to the abandoned house after school. The street was quiet, so she hid behind a tree and transformed. Once she was a cat, she padded along the sidewalk and slipped under the broken fence.

  She found Bobby around the back of the house, practicing for Feline Field Day by balancing on the top of the wonky old fence. Kitty could see that he was very determined. Just like yesterday, when he wasn’t showing off, he was really good!

  “Hi, Bobby!” she called.

  Bobby almost fell off the fence. “Kitty!” he said, startled. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

  Before Kitty could answer, he quickly added, “Oh, I don’t live here, if that’s what you’re thinking! No, it’s just a great place to practice all my skills! Isn’t it cool?”

  As gently as she could, Kitty said, “Bobby, I followed you here yesterday, from the playground. You’re here all by yourself, aren’t you?”

  When Bobby didn’t answer, she went on. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she said. “But if you don’t have a family, I might be able to help you.”

  “Of course I have a family!” yelped Bobby. “Why would a cat as great as me not have a family? I have the best owners in the world, they—”

  There was a noisy crack. Kitty gasped as the rickety old fence post underneath Bobby gave way! With a yowl, Bobby fell onto the ground in a heap of broken wood.

  “Bobby, are you okay?” called Kitty.

  Bobby tried to climb free. “Ouch!” he meowed. “Kitty, help! My tail’s stuck!”

  “Wait there!” said Kitty. She glanced all around, checking there was no one else in sight. Once she was sure they were alone, she muttered the words on her collar and transformed back into her human form. Even as the sparkling sensation swept through her, and a sound like bubbles fizzing in a drink filled her ears, she could hear Bobby meowing in shock.

  Kitty couldn’t help giggling at the amazed expression on Bobby’s face as the fizzing feeling faded and she opened her eyes again. “I have a special gift,” she explained. “I’m really a girl, but I can turn into a cat whenever I want to. So can my grandma! Now, let’s take a look at that tail . . .”

  Gently, she managed to free Bobby’s tail from where it was trapped among the pieces of broken fence. As she touched it, he hissed and arched his back.

  “Oh dear,” said Kitty, as she looked more closely. “I think you’ve got some splinters of wood in your tail, Bobby. We need to get you to the vet!”

  Carefully, she picked Bobby up and cradled him in her arms, trying not to touch his injured tail. Then, as quickly as she could, she walked him home. Luckily, Mom and Dad were still at work. When Grandma came to the door, she understood at once. “We’ll go straight to Dr. Gomez,” she said. “She’ll be able to help.”

  Dr. Gomez’s veterinary office was only a few streets away. When Grandma and Kitty arrived, with Bobby curled in Kitty’s arms, the receptionist took one look at Bobby and said, “It looks like you need an emergency appointment. I’ll ask Dr. Gomez if she can see you right away.”

  Soon, the vet was bandaging up Bobby’s tail. Kitty held him while she did, stroking his fur gently. “You’re being very brave,” she whispered.

  Dr. Gomez smiled at her. “He’s very lucky to have such a kind owner,” she said.

  “Oh, he’s not mine!” Kitty replied, without thinking.

  Dr. Gomez frowned. “Really? Then who does he belong to?”

  Kitty glanced quickly at Grandma, who shook her head. “Uh . . . well, actually he’s a stray,” Kitty admitted.

  “Then he’s even more lucky to have met you,” Dr. Gomez said. “When stray cats get hurt, their injuries can be very nasty because they have no owners to bring them to a vet. I think the best place for Bobby is the cat rescue center, unless we can find a real home for him soon.”

  Kitty felt Bobby freeze in her arms. The people at the cat rescue center were all very kind, but the cats who lived there weren’t allowed to roam freely around the streets or run through the woods at night. All the things cats loved best! And there was no telling how long it might take them to find a family to adopt them.

  Why did I say he was a stray? thought Kitty, feeling very mad at herself.

  “For now, I’ll keep Bobby here with me,” said Dr. Gomez, reaching out to take him from Kitty. Carefully, she put him in a kennel with some cozy blankets inside and shut the door. “I’ll make sure he has a good meal and a warm place to sleep tonight, and I’ll keep an eye on his tail. I’ll call the cat rescue center tomorrow.”

  Kitty didn’t want to let Bobby go, but she knew she had to. Mom and Dad would never agree to Bobby coming to live with them, because they thought she had an allergy to cats! It looked like he was staying with Dr. Gomez tonight. Then tomorrow, he’d be taken to the cat rescue center.

  Unless . . .

  “Don’t worry, Bobby,” whispered Kitty, bending down and looking inside the kennel as Grandma was thanking Dr. Gomez. “I won’t let you go to the cat rescue center. I’ll find you a real home, you’ll see!”

  Chapter 6

  Kitty was very quiet on the way home. She couldn’t stop thinking about Bobby. What was she going to do? How was she going to find him a home?

  As she and Grandma stepped inside, she saw her school bag hanging on a hook by the front door, covered in cat stickers. She, Jenny, Evie, and Mia had all decorated their bags together. That’s it! she thought suddenly. My friends will be able to help!

  “Grandma,” she said, “may I use the phone?”

  “Of course, Kitty-cat,” said Grandma.

  Quickly, Kitty called her friends. One by one, she told them that she needed to meet them in the park. “It’s an emergency,” she told them. “A cat emergency! I’ll explain properly when we get there. See you by the swings in ten minutes!”

  When the girls had all arrived, Kitty told them about Bobby. Jenny, Mia, and Evie all loved cats as much as Kitty did, and gasped when she described the empty old house with its broken, dusty windows. “He doesn’t have a family,” she finished. “We need to find him one—fast!”

  “Poor Bobby!” said Mia. “He sounds lovely, Kitty. I’m sure there must be lots of people who would love to adopt a cat.”

  “Where should we start?” asked Evie. “We can’t knock on every door in town, can we?”

  Kitty had an idea. “The houses that left water and food out for Bobby! We’ll start there,” she said.

  “Good plan,” said Jenny.

  Kitty led them to the street where she had seen Bobby visit several houses and knocked on the first door—the cozy cottage. A friendly-looking man with glasses answered. “May I help you?” he asked.

  “I hope so!” replied Kitty, smiling. “We’re looking for a home for a really nice cat. His name is Bobby and he’s big, fluffy, and gray.”

  “Oh, is that the stray who comes into my yard sometimes?” said the man. “I try to feed him when I can. The problem is, I have to go away a lot for work. So, although I love cats, I can’t have one myself.”

  “Oh. Well, thank you anyway,” said Kitty, feeling disappointed.

  As Mia knocked on the next door, the girls heard a noisy yapping sound. “Dog alert!” whispered Evie.

  When an elderly lady opened the door, Kitty explained that they were looking for a home for a stray cat, but she had already guessed what the answer would be. “I’m very sorry, girls, but as you can probably hear, I have three dogs,” said the lady. “Very noisy dogs! So, as much as I’d like to help, I don’t think my house is the best place for a cat.”

/>   Kitty thanked her, and the lady closed the door. They went from door to door, but none of the families on this street could give Bobby a home. “I’m terribly allergic,” explained one lady. “I’m afraid I sneeze every time I’m near one. It’s such a shame, because I love cats!”

  “I know the feeling,” said Kitty, and her friends all smiled sympathetically.

  Finally, there was just one house left. “Fingers crossed!” said Evie as she knocked on the door.

  As it swung open, the girls gasped at the familiar face before them.

  “Brandon!” said Kitty in surprise. “You live here?”

  Brandon stared at them all, eyes wide. “What are you doing at my house?” he asked. “Wait . . . I bet you’ve heard about my new swing set, right? And you’ve come over to see it! It’s the coolest!”

  “Here we go,” muttered Evie under her breath.

  “Shh!” said Kitty, nudging her. “Uh, no, that’s not why we’re here, Brandon. We wanted to talk to you about a cat.”

  “Brandon, who are you talking to?” asked a voice, and Brandon’s mom appeared at the door. “Hello, girls,” she said, smiling. “Did I hear you say something about a cat? Brandon and I love cats, don’t we, Brandon?”

  “Really?” said Jenny, looking surprised. “You like cats, Brandon?”

  “Yes!” said Brandon, grinning. “There’s a big gray cat who lives on this street, and he always comes to visit me.”

  “That’s the cat we wanted to talk to you about!” said Kitty. “His name is Bobby, and he doesn’t have a family. I found him up at that old abandoned house. He’d hurt his tail, so I took him to the vet. Dr. Gomez is going to take him to the rescue center if we don’t find a home for him!”

  “Oh, goodness. The poor thing,” said Brandon’s mom. “We didn’t realize he was a stray, did we, Brandon?”

  Brandon shook his head. “We thought he must belong to another family around here,” he explained. “Mom, can we have Bobby?”

  Brandon’s mom hesitated. “Well, Brandon, having a cat of your own is a really big responsibility,” she said.

  “I know that! I’d take such good care of him,” said Brandon eagerly. “I promise, Mom! Besides, don’t you think Bobby would rather come to live with a family he already knows, instead of strangers?”

  “I suppose that’s true,” Brandon’s mom said. “I’m just not sure . . .”

  “Oh, please, Mom,” begged Brandon. “Bobby and I love playing together in the back yard. He’s my only real—”

  Brandon stopped suddenly, blushing. Kitty had a feeling she knew what he’d been about to say. He’s my only real friend. Just like Bobby, Brandon always tried hard to impress everyone around him. Is this why? Kitty wondered. Is it because they’re both lonely and want to make friends?

  Brandon was looking awkwardly at the ground, so Kitty stepped in. “I can see why you and Bobby get along so well,” she said kindly. “You’re both lots of fun. You’d be a great owner for a cat like Bobby.”

  Brandon blushed an even deeper shade of pink, but he looked up at his mom hopefully. “So, can we adopt Bobby? Pleeeease?”

  Brandon’s mom smiled. “Oh, okay! Your friend is right. You would make a good cat owner, Brandon. And it sounds like Bobby needs lots of love! We’ll go straight over to the vet’s office now.”

  “Yesssssss!” Kitty and her friends cried, leaping into the air. “We did it!”

  Brandon’s mom chuckled. “Perhaps you could join us,” she suggested to Kitty. “Since you’re the one who brought him in to Dr. Gomez.”

  “Yes, please!” said Kitty, smiling. “I’ll just say goodbye to my friends, so I’ll see you there.”

  As Brandon and his mom rushed off, chatting excitedly, Kitty and her friends gave each other a big hug. “Yay! Bobby has a family!” said Evie happily.

  “A great family. Brandon’s mom seems nice, doesn’t she?” said Mia.

  “And Brandon does too!” added Jenny, sounding surprised. “If he loves cats that much, he can’t be as bad as we thought, right?”

  “Right,” said Kitty, smiling. “It seems like he really cares about Bobby.”

  Once the girls had said goodbye, Kitty ran toward the vet’s office, taking a shortcut through the park—a shortcut she had learned on one of her nightly adventures as a cat! She got there before Brandon and his mom, and burst through the doors.

  “Hi, Dr. Gomez!” she said breathlessly. “Guess what? I found a family for Bobby. And they’re coming to get him right now!”

  “Goodness!” exclaimed Dr. Gomez. “That’s wonderful news, Kitty. We’d better go and get Bobby ready.”

  Kitty followed the vet into the room where Bobby was safely tucked away in the kennel. Dr. Gomez unlocked the door and Kitty gently lifted the cat out, taking care not to touch his bandaged tail. “Hello,” Kitty whispered to him. “Bobby, you’re going to a real home, and it’s a really great one, I promise!”

  The door swung open, and Brandon and his mom walked in. Brandon’s face lit up when he saw Bobby. “I can’t believe he’s going to be my cat,” he said happily.

  “Here, you should hold him,” Kitty said, passing Bobby gently to Brandon. She watched as Brandon hugged Bobby and stroked his fur, and smiled as Bobby began to purr loudly.

  “Well, you two seem very happy with one another,” said Dr. Gomez, looking pleased.

  Kitty decided to slip away quietly, so that the new family could enjoy some time together. She mouthed, “See you soon,” to Bobby and tiptoed to the door. As she pushed it open she caught Brandon’s eye. He gave her a huge grin and said, “Thanks, Kitty.”

  “You’re welcome,” said Kitty, grinning back.

  Chapter 7

  The next day, the woods were buzzing with the sound of cats purring and meowing, as the Cat Council gathered at the clearing.

  This time, though, they weren’t there for a meeting. It was time for the Feline Field Day at last!

  Cats were sitting in their pairs, whispering and talking excitedly. “I can’t wait to try the branch balancing,” Coco whispered to her partner, Ruby.

  The only cat missing was Bobby.

  Tiger stepped into the middle of the circle. “I declare this Feline Field Day open!” he called proudly. “We will begin the first game in just a moment!”

  Kitty sat on the grass next to Suki and Misty. She glanced around, looking hopefully beyond the circle of cats. Where is he? she thought. He has to show up soon!

  “Never mind, Kitty,” Suki said gently. “Bobby must be really busy settling into his new home. He probably couldn’t slip away without his family noticing!”

  “His family that you found for him, Kitty!” Misty reminded Kitty, nudging her friend. “You really helped Bobby out.”

  “I know,” said Kitty, nodding. But she couldn’t help feeling a little sad. She was really happy that Bobby had found a home, but she wished he had turned up today. Without her partner, she wouldn’t be able to join in the games at Field Day. And she had hoped the other cats would get a chance to see Bobby again, behaving nicely this time.

  “Cats, please take your places next to the big oak tree,” called Tiger. “We’re going to start with the long pounce! That means we’re all going to do our biggest, longest, springiest pounce.”

  “Good luck!” said Kitty, trying to sound cheerful as the cats began to step forward. Just then, she heard a meow behind her, and turned around.

  “Bobby!” she exclaimed. “You came!”

  “Sorry, Kitty. I’m a bit late, aren’t I?” said Bobby nervously. He was stepping forward a little slowly, and Kitty saw that his tail was still bandaged up. “I, er, wanted to say sorry for what I did. I didn’t mean to lie to you about not having a family or a home. But . . . I just couldn’t tell you the truth.”

  “Oh, that’s okay, Bobby,” said Kitty gently.

  “I did have a family once, you see,” Bobby explained. “Then they moved away, and they didn’t take me with them. They just left me. I d
idn’t know what to do. I was so lonely! I found that big abandoned house and decided I would live there instead.”

  Kitty gasped. “I can’t believe anyone would do that,” she said. “That’s awful, Bobby.”

  Bobby nodded sadly. “I thought it must’ve been because I did something wrong,” he said. “Or maybe I just wasn’t good enough to have a family. So I thought I could at least try to make some cat friends. That way, I wouldn’t be by myself anymore! I tried to impress the cats in town so that they would like me.”

  “Oh, Bobby!” said Kitty, shaking her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It was your family who wasn’t good enough for you. Not if they treated you like that!”

  “Do you think so?” said Bobby hopefully.

  “Definitely!” said Kitty firmly. “And I know your new family would never do that! Brandon loves you so much already. His mom seems like such a nice lady too.”

  Bobby immediately started purring. “She’s great!” he agreed happily. “This morning she bought me the coziest bed, and a big box full of new toys. She even had a cat flap put into the front door so I can jump in and out whenever I like. But Brandon is the best human ever! We spent the whole day playing together. That’s why I was a little late. I was having so much fun, I almost forgot.”

  “That’s okay!” said Kitty. “You’re here now, just in time. But . . .”

  “What?” asked Bobby, as Kitty hesitated.

  “Well, you don’t have to try to impress any of the cats here,” Kitty told him. “Really! It’s much better to just be yourself—and to have fun.”

  “Okay,” said Bobby uncertainly. “I’ll try, Kitty.”

  “Great. Now let’s go, quick!” said Kitty, and she bounded over to join the other cats lining up to take part in the long pounce. “Wait for me and my partner!” she called.

  “Uh oh. Bobby’s here,” muttered Coco. All the other cats were looking worried too.

  Kitty whispered to them, “Just give him a chance, okay?”