by Holly Webb
Timmy looked at her with his head on one side. He wasn’t quite sure what was happening. He wasn’t allowed out of that door, was he? He’d been told no when he tried before. He pattered slowly over to Katie, then turned and looked at her mum, waiting to see if she’d tell him off.
Mum laughed. “It’s OK, Timmy. Go on, go with Katie.”
Timmy woofed with excitement, and trotted happily into the hallway. New things to smell! He worked his way curiously along Katie and Jess’s school bags and wellies, which were by the front door, then poked his nose into the living room. Jess was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine, with Misty on her lap.
Over the last couple of days, Katie and Jess and Mum and Dad had very carefully kept Timmy and Misty apart. They wanted to give Timmy time to settle down, and Misty needed to get used to the idea of a dog in the house.
Misty spent as much time as she possibly could in Jess’s room, only coming into the kitchen to bolt down her food – with one watchful eye on the utility room door the whole time. She would then shoot out of the cat flap, and rely on Jess letting her in the front door when she wanted to come in again. Now she looked up at Timmy, and hissed.
“Oh, Misty!” Katie sighed. “Don’t be so grumpy.”
Timmy had almost forgotten his first meeting with the cat. He was only very little, and he was naturally friendly. He assumed everyone else was, too. He bounced over towards Misty and Jess, his tail wagging, and yapped excitedly at her. Misty shot on to the arm of the sofa and growled, her back arching.
Timmy’s tail drooped, and he looked round at Katie. He was only trying to be friendly. Why doesn’t she like me?
“Keep him away from Misty,” Jess said irritably. “He’s upsetting her.”
“Mum said we could watch TV,” Katie said. “There’s a safari programme on; I thought Timmy could watch it with me. Anyway, Misty and Timmy have to learn to get along. If we can just get them used to being in the same room, that would be really good.”
“I suppose…” Jess muttered. “Just keep an eye on him, though!”
For the next half-hour, Misty glowered from the arm of the sofa, her tail twitching warningly, and Timmy shot her curious, sidelong glances from the armchair, where he was curled up on Katie’s lap.
Gradually, Misty started to relax, and after a while she dozed off on the sofa arm, with one eye half open.
Timmy sat quietly for a while, but soon he began to feel restless. He slipped down from Katie’s knee, and went exploring. This was much more exciting! Katie was half-watching him, but the little lion cubs on the programme were so cute!
Timmy sniffed his way round the room, investigating behind the Christmas tree and sneezing at the dust under the big bookcase. He even managed to wriggle under the sofa. It was dark, and it smelled interesting. He could pop his head out from underneath as well, and then hide again, which made Katie giggle. It was a good game.
He crawled the whole length of the sofa, and poked his nose out at Jess’s end. There was an interesting fluffy thing there, dangling down, and twitching gently.
Timmy was mesmerized. It went to and fro, waving at him. The fluffy thing was like one of the toys Katie had given him, a furry rat that squeaked. Maybe this one would squeak, too, if he bit it? He wriggled a little further out from under the sofa, just as Katie realized she hadn’t seen him for a minute or so.
“Where’s Timmy? Is he behind the sofa? Oh, Timmy, no!”
And Timmy pounced on Misty’s tail…
Chapter Seven
Misty shot up in the air with a screech, and Timmy howled in shock – he hadn’t expected the fluffy toy to do that… He peeped nervously from under the sofa just as Misty raced out of the room. Why was she so upset? Perhaps it was her fluffy toy?
“Oh, Timmy…” Katie said worriedly. She was trying to sound cross, but she couldn’t help a tiny smile – Misty had looked so funny, like something out of a cartoon, as she’d leaped into the air.
“I’m telling Mum!” Jess snapped. “He did that on purpose, and you weren’t watching him!” Then she ran after Misty.
Katie picked Timmy up. “Oh, Timmy. That was her tail. I don’t think you knew that, though, did you? You didn’t do it on purpose, I know you didn’t. Our plan to get you and Misty to like each other isn’t going very well, is it…”
And things got worse and worse over the next week. Rather than Misty and Timmy getting used to each other as time went on, Misty just got more and more furious about her peaceful home being invaded. She tried as hard as she could to keep away from Timmy, but she couldn’t escape from him. It seemed that wherever she went, there he was, too.
Timmy didn’t understand that Misty wanted to be left alone. She kept running off upstairs whenever he tried to play with her, and when he tried to follow he got told off.
He was allowed out on his own in the garden now, though, and he thought he’d had a stroke of luck one afternoon when he found her snoozing on the garden bench in a patch of winter sunlight – she couldn’t dash away up the stairs now! But she raced up to the top of the apple tree and snarled at him, while he barked hopefully. But eventually, he gave up and ran over to Katie, who was calling him in.
Back in the kitchen, Timmy lay quietly on Katie’s lap, even though she bounced his squeaky ball for him. His ears were drooping, and he rested his nose on his paws, gazing sadly at the back door.
“You really want her to play with you, don’t you?” Katie sighed. “I think Misty’s a bit old for playing, Timmy.”
Timmy heard the worry in her voice, and rubbed his head against her arm lovingly.
But Katie was right. Misty was an old cat, and stubborn. She didn’t like new things, and she found it so strange and upsetting having Timmy around that she didn’t even want to eat properly any more. Besides, her food was in the kitchen, where he was. It was easier just not to bother. As the days went by, she started to look thinner.
A few days before Christmas, Timmy was curled up on his cushion, feeling bored. Katie had left him in the kitchen, explaining that she had to go upstairs and wrap presents in her room, because they were a secret, and no one was supposed to see. Timmy still wasn’t allowed upstairs, but she promised she’d be back soon.
Katie had shut the kitchen door when she went upstairs, but Timmy had been practising, and he could claw it open unless it was shut really tight.Timmy hooked his claws into the crack and scrabbled until it clicked open. Then he trotted cheerfully out. He was so clever! Katie had been ages. He was sure she wouldn’t mind if he went to find her, would she?
Timmy headed for the stairs, and suddenly felt a little less clever. They were very big. He almost couldn’t see the top. But he knew Katie would be up there. He could smell her, and as a tracking dog, his sense of smell was excellent.
He heaved himself up on to the first step, which wasn’t too difficult, except there were a lot more of them before he got to the top. Timmy sighed and set about the next step. It took him ten minutes to get all the way up, and he nearly went back to his comfy cushion several times.
But the exciting new smells upstairs soon made him forget how hard it had been to get there, and he set off snuffling along the carpet. Ah! An open door! Maybe Katie was here. No, it didn’t smell like Katie. But there was Misty, curled up asleep on the pink bedcover. Timmy trotted eagerly into the room. He was delighted to see her. If he woke her, perhaps she would play with him. He stood up with his front paws on the edge of the bed and licked Misty’s nose. He could only just reach.
Misty was sleeping peacefully, knowing that dog was downstairs and she didn’t need to worry. Then she woke up with a sudden fright.
He was right there! There, in Jess’s room! Was nowhere safe any more? Misty leaped off the bed, and raced across the room, looking for a way to escape. Timmy was whining, trying to show her he was friendly, but all Misty could see was Timmy in the one place she’d felt was safe. Desperately she clawed her way up Jess’s curtains, and up on to the top of the wardrobe.<
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The scuffling and barking brought Jess running upstairs; Katie rushed in after her.
“He’s not meant to be in here!” Jess yelled. “Get him out of my room! Misty, it’s OK, come on down, puss, puss…” She turned back to Katie, who was standing by the door, looking horrified. “Go on, get him out!” she cried angrily.
Timmy flinched back. Jess was so angry with him, and Misty was cowering on top of the wardrobe… It had all gone wrong! He’d only been trying to be friendly. And now he was in trouble again!
Katie scooped him up and hurried downstairs. “Oh, Timmy! What were you doing up there? You mustn’t chase Misty, it’s mean!”
Katie sounded cross, Timmy thought miserably. He sighed. He hadn’t meant to be naughty.
“What’s going on up there?” Mum was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking worried.
“Katie let Timmy get into my room, and now Misty’s stuck on top of my wardrobe!” Jess yelled from upstairs. “Mum, we have to shut him in the kitchen so Misty can calm down, it’s just not fair.”
“Oh, Katie. He didn’t upset Misty again?”
Timmy whined sadly as he heard another cross voice.
“Jess is right, Katie,”Mum said firmly. “Put Timmy back in the kitchen, and make sure the door’s shut tight. And hurry, Katie, we’ve got to finish off the Christmas shopping this morning, remember. We need to get going.”
“But Mum, he doesn’t really like being shut in…” Katie started to say, but Mum gave her a stern look, folding her arms. Katie sighed. “Sorry, Timmy. You have to go back in the kitchen. Stay here and be good, all right?”
Timmy watched, his big, dark eyes mournful, as she carefully shut the door. He was all alone, and everybody was cross with him. He howled miserably at the ceiling, then slumped on his cushion, listening to Katie and Jess and Mum in the hallway, getting ready to go out.
Timmy wriggled around sadly, trying to get comfortable. A piece of pink material was hanging on the radiator, and he knocked it down as he turned. It made him jump, as it fell on to his cushion. Timmy took it in his mouth to pull it out of the way, but he had it tangled in his paws, and it tore a little. This was fun…
The pink fabric was good to chew. It made satisfying tearing noises as he shredded it and shook it and rolled around the floor with it. He felt much better afterwards, but quite tired. It had been a busy morning climbing all those stairs.
Timmy fell asleep, covered in small bits of pink fleece.
A couple of hours later, Katie, Mum and Jess came back. Timmy could hear them outside the kitchen, and he scratched the door a few times, hopefully, but no one came to get him. He could hear Jess talking to Misty. She was allowed out. It wasn’t fair. He trailed back to his cushion, and nibbled a bit more pink fleece.
“Where’s Misty’s blanket, Mum?” Jess called. “It’s not in my room, and you know she likes to sleep on it.”
“Oh, I washed it, Jess, it was so dirty. It’s hanging on the kitchen radiator to dry,” Mum said.
Timmy could hear Jess coming towards the door, murmuring to Misty. “It’s all right, we’ll get your blanket, then you can have a nice sleep.”
As Jess opened the kitchen door, cuddling Misty, a guilty-looking brown and white puppy stared up at her, with shreds of pink blanket hanging out of the corner of his mouth.
Chapter Eight
Timmy lay on his cushion silently, only occasionally giving a sad little whine. Jess had been so cross, crosser than anyone had ever been with him before. She’d called him a bad dog, and lots of other horrible things. Even Katie had said he was naughty. He’d never heard her sound upset like that. And the worst thing was, they were right. He had been naughty.
The kitchen door clicked open gently, and Katie came in, wearing her pyjamas. Timmy looked up at her sadly. Was she still angry with him?
“Oh, Timmy. I’m sorry we shouted. You didn’t know, did you? But Misty’s really upset, Timmy, and Jess is furious.” Katie sighed. “I thought you and Misty would learn to get along, but it just isn’t happening.” She stroked his ears gently, and Timmy laid his nose on her knee, gazing apologetically at her.
Katie looked guiltily round at the kitchen door, and then scooped him up in her arms. “Come on. We’re both too miserable to be on our own. Mum and Dad have gone to bed, so I’m going to sneak you up to my room. We’ve got to be really quiet, because if anyone catches us, we’ll be in big trouble, OK?”
Timmy snuggled gratefully into Katie’s arms, and she tiptoed upstairs. She tucked him down beside her, and Timmy felt happy for the first time since Jess had been so cross. At least Katie still loved him.
But the next morning, Jess flung Katie’s bedroom door open, and rushed in, her face panicky.
Katie rolled over. “What is it?” she asked, too sleepy to remember that she ought to hide Timmy. Luckily, Jess seemed too distracted to notice him.
“Have you seen Misty?” she asked anxiously.
Katie shook her head, yawning.
“She didn’t come back in last night! I was sure she’d be here this morning. She does stay out late sometimes, but never all night.” She frowned at Katie. “You know why she’s gone, don’t you? Because of Timmy. He’s driven her away, Katie!”
“That’s not true—” Katie started to say, but Jess didn’t let her finish.
“Of course it is! He eats her food, he chases her, he’s bitten her tail, and now he’s chewed up her most special thing! I’m just surprised she didn’t leave before!”
Katie sat up in bed, carefully covering Timmy with the duvet. “Misty’s just old and grumpy, and she’s never been at all friendly to Timmy. She was the one who scratched him!”
“She’s a cat, Katie! Cats don’t like dogs! I told you and Mum and Dad that, and nobody listened, and now we’ve lost her. You were the one who wanted a dog in the first place. It’s all your fault!”
“No, it isn’t!” Katie yelled back, making Timmy tremble beside her. He hated shouting.
“It is, and stop trying to hide Timmy, because I know you’ve got him up here, and I’m telling Mum!” Jess stormed out, leaving Timmy whimpering.
“It’s OK, boy,” Katie muttered. “It’ll be OK…”
But she wasn’t at all sure that it would.
Katie and Timmy were in disgrace. Jess was still claiming that Misty had run away because of Timmy. Katie had to admit it was true, but he hadn’t been naughty on purpose – he was just being a dog, a friendly, bouncy, messy puppy. He hadn’t meant to upset Misty!
Dad had called their vet to tell them that Misty was missing. Misty had been microchipped, so that if anyone brought her into the vet’s, they could tell at once who she belonged to. But Mum and Dad were sure that she would be back soon.
“It’s only been one night, Jess,” Mum said at breakfast, putting an arm round her.
Katie sat on the other side of the table, feeling miserable. She was worried about Misty, too, and Mum had really told her off for having Timmy in her room. Now he was lying under the table, resting his nose on her feet. He could sense how upset everyone was, and it was horrible.
“She’ll be back as soon as she gets hungry, Jess,” Dad promised. “And it’s the first morning of my holiday from work, remember, so I can help you look for her later if she doesn’t turn up.”
“It’s only two days till Christmas!” Jess wailed. “What if Misty isn’t back for Christmas Day?”
The problem was Misty didn’t want to be found. She was miserable, and she wanted to hide away from people, and especially from dogs. When she had seen her precious blanket in pieces all over the kitchen floor, she had known that she couldn’t stay in the house any longer.
Misty had left home, and she wasn’t coming back. Not while the dog was still there. She had plodded dismally through the garden, crawled under the back fence, and set off down the alleyway that led to the main road. She wanted to be far away, and by the time Jess had finished shouting at Katie and Timmy, and raced after her,
Misty had gone too far to hear her frantic calling.
Misty liked being outdoors. She was good at hunting – she loved to give Jess mouse presents – and she adored sunbathing in the garden. Only now it was freezing, and she could smell snow in the air. And it felt different being outside all alone and knowing that she couldn’t just slip back in through her cat flap to be safe and warm again.
She spent the night huddled under a garden shed, a few streets away from her own house. It was horrible; still, she couldn’t go back. But when she woke in the morning, hungry and stiff with cold, Misty wished that Jess was there to cuddle her, and open one of her favourite fishy tins for breakfast. Maybe she should go home, just for some food, then she could leave again, after she’d seen Jess…
Misty crawled out of the grubby little den she’d found, and sniffed the air anxiously. Home was – which way?
In a sudden panic, Misty leaped on to the top of a garden wall, looking worriedly around. She didn’t know! She had been so desperate to get away yesterday that she hadn’t tried to remember. Now all the gardens looked the same, and none of them was hers…
Chapter Nine
It was the saddest Christmas Day ever. The whole family was sitting in the living room, with the Christmas tree lights on, trying to be enthusiastic about presents. Carols were playing, and it looked like a perfect Christmas scene. Even Timmy had tinsel round his collar. But there was a cat-shaped hole, where Misty should have been perched on the back of the sofa, waiting to pounce on the crackly wrapping paper. Everyone was thinking about her.
“Your turn, Jess!” Mum said brightly.
Jess stared at the pile of parcels in front of her as though she wasn’t really seeing them. She was holding a plastic packet in her hands, with a picture on it that looked very much like Misty. Katie looked over at her miserably. She’d been with Jess at the pet shop when she’d bought it – the luxury cat “chocolates” that were meant to have been Misty’s Christmas present.