The Abandoned Kitten

by Sue Mongredien

  Especially you, Tiny Tabby, she thought to herself, heading upstairs. Lilly slid back under her duvet and shut her eyes. Just as she was falling asleep, she remembered to cross her fingers.

  Lily woke again at seven o’clock. The house was quiet and she didn’t have to get up for school for another half an hour. Usually she would roll over and doze for a bit longer, but this morning she suddenly remembered the kittens. Were they OK?

  She got out of bed and hurried downstairs. It seemed strange now, that time in the middle of the night where she’d come down to help Mum. Had it actually happened or was it all a dream? Rubbing her eyes, she went into the kitchen.

  No, it can’t have been a dream, she thought, because she remembered Mum saying that she’d move the kittens down by the radiator to keep them warm, and their box was still there.

  But then a split second later, Lily froze in horror as she took in what was happening. Meg was standing next to the box with her head inside it. What was she doing?

  “Come away, Meg,” Lily ordered, her heart pounding. She was terrified that something awful had happened. What if Meg had hurt the kittens? What if she’d eaten them? “Meg!” she cried again. “Come here!”

  Meg looked confused at Lily’s stern tone and her tail drooped. She was a gentle dog but playful, too. What if she’d thought the kittens were new toys for her – cuddly soft toys to chew and throw around?

  “MUM!” Lily yelled at the top of her voice. “MUUMMMM! Come quick!”

  She ran over to the box, scared of what she might find but knowing she had to stop Meg. She grabbed Meg’s collar and tugged her away from the kittens.

  Mum rushed in at that moment, pulling her dressing gown around her, her hair wild from being in bed. “What’s happened? What’s going on?” she cried anxiously.

  “Meg was. . . I don’t know what she’s done,” Lily gabbled. “She had her head in the box and. . .” She swallowed. “I thought she was hurting the kittens.”

  Mum hurried over to the kitten box and crouched down next to it. “It’s OK, they’re fine,” she said in the next breath, sounding every bit as relieved as Lily now felt. “In fact, they. . .” She frowned in surprise and crouched down for a closer look. “Their fur’s damp,” she said. “I think. . . I think Meg must have been licking them.”

  Meg made a small whining sound in her throat as if she was confused by all the shouting.

  “It’s all right, Meg,” said Mum, reaching over to pat her. “Let her go, Lily, there’s no harm done.”

  Lily relaxed her grip on Meg’s collar and watched uncertainly as Meg trotted back to the kitten box and put her head inside. Her tail started wagging.

  “What’s she doing?” Lily asked, unable to see from where she was standing.

  Mum beckoned her over. “Come and look,” she said in a low voice, her eyes bright.

  Lily went to crouch beside Mum, still feeling nervous, even though Mum was smiling. But as she neared the box, she saw that Mum was right – Meg was gently licking the kittens all over.

  “Just as if she’s their mother,” Mum said, sounding touched. “Oh Meg,” she said, giving the dog a stroke. “Aren’t you looking after them beautifully?”

  “I think the kittens like it,” Lily said, still watching.

  “They certainly seem very calm,” Mum agreed. “This is what the mother cat would have done, had she been here. I’m sure it must feel comforting to the kittens, having a larger animal look after them in this way.” She patted Meg and got to her feet. “Now I’d better mix up some milk. They’ll be hungry again soon.”

  They heard the thump of footsteps coming down the stairs, and then Jacob and Max burst into the kitchen in their matching Star Wars pyjamas. “Talking of hungry. . .” Mum laughed. “Morning, boys. Looks like everyone wants their breakfast.”

  “Why was Lily shouting?” Jacob asked, his hair standing on end as it always did first thing in the morning.

  “What’s happening?” Max asked. “Has Lily done something naughty?”

  Mum and Lily looked at each other and laughed. “Definitely not,” Mum replied. “She and Meg have been taking care of the kittens brilliantly.”

  Lily helped Jacob and Max pour some cereal, then ate her own breakfast. Dad came down and made coffee for Mum and him, while Mum whisked up a new batch of the kitten milk. Meg, meanwhile, curled up next to the kitten box as if she was protecting her babies.

  “I see we have a new guard dog,” Dad joked. “Has she adopted the kittens as members of her pack?”

  Lily told Dad what Meg had been doing, and he leaned down and ruffled Meg’s coat. “I wonder if seeing you hand-rear the kittens has brought back a faint doggy memory of when you did the same for her?” he said thoughtfully to Mum.

  Mum took the tabby kitten out of the box and sat down to feed her. “You never know,” she said. “It might just be her own mothering instinct coming out. It’s lovely to see anyway. Isn’t that right, kitty?” She gently prised open the tabby’s mouth with her little finger and put the end of the dropper inside. Then she carefully squeezed out a drop of warm milk.

  Lily paused, her cornflakes halfway up to her mouth as she watched, hoping that the kitten would swallow the milk without a problem. To her delight, it vanished almost at once. “She drank it!” she said happily.

  “She did,” Mum said, stroking the tabby’s stripy fur. “She seems to be getting the hang of it at last. She had a good feed earlier, too.”

  “So does that mean she’s going to be OK?” Lily asked, crossing the fingers of her free hand again. Hope burst up inside her like a flame.

  “Well. . .” Mum bent over the tabby and didn’t reply immediately. “I don’t know for certain yet,” she said eventually. “It’s still very early days. We need to get through the next few weeks before we know anything for sure, and all three kittens will need lots of looking after.”

  “I’ll help,” Lily said quickly.

  “Me too,” Jacob said. “Daniel in our class had kittens and they were so cool.”

  Max grinned. “They were really funny!” he said. “They played football with Daniel’s marbles.”

  “One climbed up Daniel’s mum’s leg!” Jacob giggled.

  “And got its claws stuck in her jeans!” Max remembered. He stirred his cereal, and a hopeful look appeared on his face. “Can we keep these kittens?”

  Dad laughed. “I was waiting for that,” he said. “I’m surprised it took you guys so long to ask!”

  “Can we?” Lily asked excitedly.

  “No,” Mum said at once. “You know we can’t keep them. Our family is bonkers enough with three children and a dog to look after.”

  “Oh, pleeeeease,” begged Jacob, putting his hands together as if he were praying. “Please. We could have one each!”

  “Sorry,” Dad said. “Come on, finish your breakfast. The kittens are staying just long enough to make sure they’re healthy and strong. Then they’ll go back to the RSPCA centre to be rehomed. I’m sure Mum and the team there will find good homes for them all.”

  Lily knew better than to argue, even though Max and Jacob were both pointing out that this was a good home and would be perfect for the kittens. When her parents said “No” like that, she knew they meant it. Still, at least they’d get to have the kittens for a few more weeks. She finished her breakfast, smiling. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends all about their new house guests.

  All day at school Lily could think of nothing but the kittens. As soon as Mrs Butler said it was home time, she sprinted out to find Dad in their usual meeting place, outside the boys’ classroom, and bombarded him with questions. “How are the kittens? Are they OK? Is the tabby drinking more milk, do you think? What did Mum say?”

  Dad held up his hands in surrender. “Whoa!” he cried. “One at a time!”

  “They’re all right, though, a
ren’t they?” Lily asked. “Aren’t they, Dad?”

  Dad hesitated, and it seemed like the longest moment Lily had ever lived through. “Well… let’s hope so,” he replied.

  Lily felt cold all over. “What’s happened?” she asked, her voice shaking on the words.

  Dad took her hand in his. “Mum wasn’t working today, so she’s been able to look after the kittens at home, but she’s a bit concerned about the tabby. She’s still much weaker than her brothers, apparently. Mum asked Vik if he’d pop round to have a look.”

  Vik was one of the vets at the RSPCA centre and good friends with Mum and Dad. “What did he say? Is the tabby ill?” Lily asked, feeling sick with worry.

  “He hadn’t arrived by the time I left,” Dad replied. “But you and I both know that Mum and the RSPCA team will do everything they can for her, don’t we? So let’s try to stay positive.” He gave Lily a comforting squeeze. “Ahh, here come the rascals,” he said in the next moment.

  Jacob and Max ran out of their classroom, both shouting excitedly. “We had Light and Dark Day today!”

  “We made shadows with torches!”

  “It was soooo cool!”

  “It was epic!”

  “That sounds good,” Dad said, still with his arm around Lily. He squeezed her again. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  Later Lily couldn’t remember anything about the walk back. She was so preoccupied with thoughts of the kittens that a circus float might have driven by with fire-eaters and a trapeze and she wouldn’t have noticed a thing. What if the vet was saying right now that there was no hope for the tabby?

  As soon as they had crossed the last road and were on their street, Lily ran the rest of the way home. An RSPCA van was just pulling up outside their house when she got there, and Vik emerged a moment later, dressed in his dark RSPCA uniform. “Hi,” Lily said, her heart beating even faster. “Dad said you were coming to check the kittens over.”

  “Hello, Lily,” Vik replied. He had kind brown eyes and a calmness about him. “I’m doing a late shift tonight, so I said I’d have a look at them before I start work. Let’s see how they’re getting on, shall we?”

  They went up the front path together and knocked on the door. Dad and the boys caught up with them just as Mum opened it. She looked quite anxious but gave a small smile when she saw Lily, Max and Jacob.

  “You’re all here!” she said. “Had a good day, kids? Come on in, Vik.”

  Lily was in such a hurry to see the kittens that she almost fell into the house. “How are they?” she asked immediately. “Is the tabby all right?”

  “She’s. . .” Mum broke off. “Well, Vik will tell us. This way, Vik. It’s the smallest one I’m a bit worried about. She’s still very listless.”

  Lily followed Mum and Vik into the kitchen while the boys ran upstairs to get changed. Vik crouched down and examined the kittens one by one while Lily watched, feeling tense. Please let Tiny Tabby be OK, she thought desperately. Please!

  Vik explained that he was listening to the kittens’ hearts and lungs. He then checked their eyes and looked inside their ears, before gently opening their mouths and pressing on their gums. “This is a test to see if the kittens are dehydrated,” he told Lily, noticing her watching. “The good news is that these three have nice healthy pink gums, so we can rule that out.”

  “Brilliant,” Lily said.

  Once Vik had finished examining the kittens, he nodded his head and smiled. “Well, so far, so good,” he said. “Of course, it’s still touch and go at this age, but I can’t see any obvious signs of infection or dehydration in any of them.”

  “Thank goodness,” Mum replied, sounding thankful.

  “You mean . . . they’re really OK?” Lily asked. “Even the tabby?”

  “Even the tabby,” Vik assured her. “She is quite small, so we need to keep a special eye on her and make sure she gets plenty of fluids, but it sounds like you and your mum are doing a great job looking after her so far.”

  Lily felt wobbly with relief. Mum put an arm around her and held her close. “I’ve got an excellent assistant in Lily here,” Mum said warmly. “Thanks so much for popping in, Vik.”

  “No problem at all,” he replied. “I’ll look forward to seeing these guys again next time you’re in work.”

  Once Vik had said his goodbyes and left, Lily washed her hands, mindful that the kittens were so tiny that any germs could cause problems. Then she crouched by their box and stroked them lovingly. “Hello, gorgeous ones. Did you miss me? I’ve been thinking about you lots today. I’m glad you’re OK.” She had a lump in her throat all of a sudden. “Don’t scare me like that again, Tiny Tabby,” she whispered, gently stroking her teeny head. “I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”

  “I was thinking. . .” Lily began at teatime that evening.

  “Careful,” teased Dad. “Don’t want that brain of yours overheating.”

  Lily pulled a face at him. “I was thinking we should name the kittens,” she said, the words tumbling out in a rush before she could be interrupted again. There was a moment’s silence after she spoke. “Because. . . I mean. . . Well, they are going to be all right now, aren’t they?”

  Mum and Dad exchanged a glance. “You do know we’re not going to keep the kittens, don’t you?” Dad said. “I just want to make that absolutely clear.”

  “I know,” Lily replied. “But it seems silly to keep calling them ‘the black one’ or ‘the black-and-white one’ or whatever. Can’t we just name them for us, while they’re here?”

  Mum smiled. “I don’t see why not. Have you got any ideas?”

  “I’ve been calling the tabby Tiny Tabby,” Lily confessed. “Well, in my head anyway. Tiny is a really cute name for her, I think.”

  “That is sweet,” Mum agreed. “How about you, boys? Got any good ideas for the other two?”

  “Fang,” said Max immediately.

  “Stomper,” suggested Jacob.

  Dad laughed. “We are naming kittens here, not dinosaurs, guys,” he reminded them. “I was thinking something more along the lines of Fluffy.”

  Max rolled his eyes. “No way,” he said. “What about. . . Max for the black one? That’s a good name.”

  “I think we might get a bit muddled up with two Maxes in the house,” Mum said, looking as if she was trying not to laugh.

  “All right, Darth for the black one then,” Jacob suggested. “And the one with white feet can be Luke.”

  “We’re not naming the kittens after Star Wars characters!” Lily told him. “They have to have proper kitteny names. Like… Sooty. Or Smudge. Or Mr Whiskers. Or Paddypaws.”

  “Paddy is a sweet name,” Mum said. “Cats do pad about, don’t they? Let’s call the black one Paddy.”

  “Oh yes, that’s nice,” Lily said. “Paddy really suits him.”

  “Now we just need to name the black-and-white one,” Dad said. “The one who looks like he’s wearing white socks.”

  “SOCKS!” Jacob and Max cried at the same time.

  “We could call him Socks,” Jacob added, just in case anyone hadn’t heard them.

  “Socks is a totally cool name,” Max agreed.

  “Paddy, Socks and Tiny,” Mum said, trying the names out together. “Perfect.”

  Woof ! went Meg, as if she agreed.

  “Paddy, Socks, Tiny and Meg,” Lily corrected Mum, stroking Meg with a smile. “You’re a very important member of the gang, right?”

  “The most important,” Mum said. “Goodness, what a full house we’re going to be for a while.”

  Lily smiled and went on eating her tea. What a full, happy house we are, she thought to herself. She was so glad that Paddy, Socks and Tiny had come to stay!

  Every morning for the next few days, Lily sprang out of bed and hurried downstairs as soon as she woke up. Ev
en though Tiny was feeding as well as her brothers now, she knew that if any of the kittens became too cold or picked up an infection, they would be at risk. She dreaded anything going wrong. Already the kittens felt as if they’d been part of the family for ages.

  Meg clearly agreed. Mum took the kittens into work with her, but whenever they were at home, Meg took on the role of Second Mummy. She was always leaning into the box so that she could give the kittens a wash with her tongue, or comfort them if they were squeaking.

  Three days after the kittens had come to stay, Lily had a big surprise when she peeped in their box. The black kitten was staring right back at her. His eyes had opened!

  “He can see!” she exclaimed, crouching down and stroking the black kitten. “Hello, Paddy. I’m Lily!”

  Mum was already in the kitchen, giving Meg her breakfast. She came over to look. “Oh yes!” she said. “They must have only just opened – they weren’t like that when I fed him an hour ago.” She reached in and gently picked up the other two to check them. “Socks and Tiny still have their eyes closed,” she said. “But they should open soon. Maybe even by the time you get home from school.”

  “Do I have to go to school today?” Lily asked hopefully. “I want to be here when it happens.”

  “Nice try,” Dad said. He was stirring porridge at the stove. “Yes, you jolly well do have to go to school, Lily Hart. Here, have some of this porridge, then go and put your uniform on. And where have those boys got to?”

  Jacob and Max thundered downstairs a few minutes later, and they too were very excited that the black kitten had opened his eyes. Jacob pulled his craziest face at him, while Max showed the kitten his best handstand.

  “No gymnastics in the kitchen,” Dad said, catching hold of Max’s legs and hoisting him the right way up. “Why don’t you two show that kitten how beautifully you can eat your breakfast instead?”

  “Oh, but Dad. . .” Jacob said, waving to the kitten and making his ears waggle up and down.