The Great Kitten Challenge

by Diana Gallagher

  “I didn’t lose him!” Kyle insisted. “I put him back in the box. He was just there a second ago.”

  Kyle and Mia hunted under the chairs and behind the exam table.

  “It’s like he just disappeared!” Mia said, standing up and looking around the room in disbelief.

  “Well he can’t have gotten very far,” Kyle said. “He’s just a kitten. He has to be in here somewhere.”

  Suddenly they heard a quiet purring noise. Kyle and Mia looked at each other. It sounded like it was coming from the doorway across the room.

  Kyle and Mia hurried over to where Rex lay, still protectively guarding the entrance to the exam room.

  Kyle breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the source of the noise. Tiger was curled up against the dog’s side, sound asleep and purring happily.

  “Looks like the kittens like Rex as much as he likes them,” Kyle said.

  “I thought dogs and cats didn’t get along,” Mia said with a laugh.

  After school, Kyle and Rex met Mia at her house. She came out the front door carrying a bottle of water and a bag of cat chow in her arms. They had decided to go back over to the shed and see if the mother cat had returned yet.

  “I really hope the mom is okay,” Mia said to Kyle as they walked toward the shed. “I’m worried about the kittens, too. They need homes.”

  “Maybe someone at school will want one. We should take pictures of the kittens with us tomorrow,” Kyle said as they hurried across the vacant lot.

  “Good idea,” Mia said. “We should tell the whole class.”

  “That’s a great plan!” Kyle said, grinning at his friend. “Do you think Mrs. Lockwood will let us do that?”

  Mia shrugged. “We won’t know until we ask,” she said.

  They stopped in front of the shed. Mia crossed her fingers. Kyle peered inside. He didn’t see any snakes or rats, so he reached in and pulled out the food dish.

  “It’s empty!” Mia said with a smile. “That means the mom cat has been here.” She put more food in the dish and added, “I bet the cat will come back again, just like your mom said.”

  Kyle poured fresh water into the other dish. “I just hope it was the cat and not something else,” he said.

  “Uh-oh,” Mia said with a gasp. She looked really worried. “I didn’t even think about that.”

  The Big Pitch

  The next day, Mia and Kyle brought a bunch of cute photos of the kittens to school. Before class started, they convinced Mrs. Lockwood to let them talk to the other students.

  “Kyle and Mia have an announcement to make,” Mrs. Lockwood said. “So, everyone, please pay attention.”

  Kyle took his place by the chalkboard while Mia handed out pictures for the rest of the kids to pass around. “Mia and I found three abandoned kittens on Monday afternoon,” he said.

  “Why were they abandoned?” someone asked.

  “We think their mother left to go look for food,” Kyle said. “Or something happened to her.”

  “The kittens were really small and weak, so we had to take them to Kyle’s mom’s vet clinic,” Mia added.

  “And now we have to find homes for them,” Kyle said.

  “I love this one!” Lacey said. She giggled and held up a picture of Rex cleaning one of the kittens with his tongue. The kitten’s face was all scrunched up.

  “And this one,” Connor said, holding up a picture of Tiger sleeping next to Rex. “It looks like he’s using your dog’s ear as a blanket.”

  “That’s Tiger,” Kyle said. “We took that picture after he snuck out of the box the other day. I thought he was making a run for it!”

  “When will they be old enough to take home?” Billy asked.

  “You can have one at the end of the week,” Kyle said. “They’re about seven weeks old right now. My mom said they could go home to their new homes at eight weeks.”

  “If you’re interested, you can see them at Kyle’s mom’s clinic,” Mia said. “The kittens have to get good homes, and we won’t worry if you guys take them.”

  “They’re cute, but I don’t want a fur ball,” Billy said. “I like creepy critters.”

  Ryan shook his head. “I can’t take one,” he said. “My sister already has a cat, and my parents don’t want any more pets.”

  “My brother’s snake gets loose sometimes,” Lacey said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a kitten in the house with a snake on the loose.”

  “I’d love a kitten, but my mom is allergic to cat hair,” Emma said. “Sorry.”

  Kyle and Mia exchanged a worried glance. It seemed like everyone they talked to thought the kittens were adorable. But as cute as everyone thought they were, no one had offered to take one home.

  As soon as they got home, Kyle and Mia hurried to the shed. The food dish was empty again, but there was still no sign of the mother cat.

  They filled the dishes with more food and fresh water and rushed back to the clinic, just in case anyone from school showed up to see the kittens.

  Nobody did.

  “What are we going to do?” Mia asked when they sat down to feed the kittens. “The kittens can’t stay here forever. They need homes.”

  “We’ll think of something,” Kyle said. “We have to.”

  The Big Kitty Home Hunt

  When Kyle woke up Thursday morning, he had a plan. He called Mia right away. “Let’s go to Mr. J’s Pet Haven,” he said. “Maybe he can take the kittens. Or he’ll know someone who wants one.”

  “Great idea,” Mia said. “Let’s go after school.”

  When Kyle and Mia walked into the store that afternoon, Jethro, Mr. J’s pet parrot, was there to welcome them.

  “Who’s there?” Jethro squawked as they opened the door. “Go away!”

  “That’s bad for business, Jethro,” Mr. J said with a laugh. “It’s a good thing everybody loves a cranky parrot.”

  “They love cute, little kittens more,” Mia said.

  “I’m hungry!” Jethro squawked.

  Kyle gave the parrot a piece of cracker from the dish Mr. J always kept on the counter. Then he said, “We have three kittens that need homes.”

  “We found them in a vacant lot,” Mia explained. She pulled out three of the cutest pictures they’d taken and handed them to Mr. J to look at. “Kyle’s mom said they’re almost seven weeks old.”

  “They are very cute,” Mr. J agreed, flipping through the photos.

  “Could you sell them here?” Mia asked hopefully. “I bet lots of people would be interested!”

  Mr. J shook his head. “I’m sorry, kids,” he said. “I’d really love to help you out, but I only sell purebred kittens like Persians and Siamese here. You’re welcome to put a picture and a sign on my bulletin board, though. Maybe someone will see it and want one.”

  Mr. J gave them a piece of paper, and Kyle and Mia got to work making a sign. They chose a picture of all three kittens together and wrote the number for Dr. Blake’s clinic below.

  When they were finished, they walked over to the bulletin board by the front door. Hopefully someone would see the flyer there. But there were already several flyers for free kittens.

  “There are so many ads here!” Kyle said.

  “I guess there are a lot of kittens that need homes,” Mia said.

  “We should post an ad anyway,” Kyle said. “Maybe we should say that our kittens have been seen by a vet and had their shots. A lot of these other kittens probably haven’t.”

  “It can’t hurt,” Mia said.

  They added a line to their flyer and stuck it on the board along with all the other posted ads.

  “Bye!” Jethro said as they walked out. “And don’t come back!”

  “Maybe we should put up a sign in your mom’s clinic, too,” Mia suggested as they left the pet store.
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  Kyle shook his head. “She already has one posted,” he said. “She and Angie and Lillian have been asking everyone who comes in if they’re interested.”

  “Any takers?” Mia asked hopefully.

  Kyle shook his head. “Not yet.”

  “What about putting up flyers around the neighborhood?” Mia suggested. “That way people who don’t have pets and don’t have a reason to go to the pet store or vet’s office will see them.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Kyle said. “We can make them on my computer. Let’s go!”

  A Late Addition

  Kyle and Mia hurried back to his house and created a flyer about the kittens. They made sure to add the clinic phone number. Then they printed out twenty copies.

  “I hope this works,” Mia said.

  Rex tried to follow along behind them when Mia and Kyle headed downstairs.

  “I think he’s upset that we left him behind the past two days,” Kyle said. “He wants to come, too.”

  Kyle grabbed Rex’s leash, and they headed out the door. They were halfway down the block when Mia suddenly stopped. “Look!” she said, pointing across the street. “The mother!”

  Kyle looked where Mia was pointing. Sure enough, there was a skinny cat sneaking out of the shed.

  “I can’t believe we forgot about her food!” Mia said.

  “We’re only a little late. And only because we were thinking about the kittens,” Kyle said. “We can take her food first and then put up the signs.”

  “Works for me!” Mia said. “We’d better go back and get the stuff.”

  “Good idea,” Kyle said. “Let’s take Rex back to my house, too. We don’t want him to scare her off.”

  They turned back down the street, and Mia ran to her house to get the cat food and water bottle for the mother. Kyle set the signs they’d made on a table on his front porch and put a rock on top of the pile so they wouldn’t blow away.

  Then he took Rex back inside and hung up his leash. Rex whined unhappily when he realized he was being left behind again.

  “Sorry, boy,” Kyle said. “No walk right now. We’ll come get you later.”

  Rex still wasn’t happy about being left behind, but there was no choice.

  A few minutes later, Mia came back out of her house carrying the cat supplies, and they hurried down the street. When they were a few feet from the shed, Kyle came to an abrupt halt.

  “What?” Mia asked.

  “I thought I saw something,” Kyle whispered.

  “You did!” Mia whispered back. She pointed at the skinny tabby disappearing behind the shed.

  “I bet she was waiting for her dinner,” Kyle said.

  “Let’s put food in the dish and wait,” Mia said. “If we’re quiet, she might come to us.”

  Kyle and Mia filled the dishes and set them outside the door. Then they sat down a few feet away and waited. A few minutes later, the cat came back. The kids didn’t move while she ate.

  “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,” Mia said.

  “Why does everyone call cats like that?” Kyle asked.

  “Because cats think it means they’ll get food,” Mia said.

  After the cat ate, she drank a little water and sat down to wash her face with her paw.When she finished, she walked right up to Mia and rubbed against her leg.

  “She’s not wearing a collar,” Mia said. “I guess that means she doesn’t have an owner. Looks like we have one more cat to find a home for.”

  Please, Take a Kitten!

  Saturday morning was the last time Kyle and Mia had to give the kittens formula. The little cats were doing so well that they didn’t need it anymore. They could just eat their kitten food and drink water.

  “I really hope someone calls about the kittens soon,” Mia said. “I love taking care of them, but Smoke, Tiger, and Cheeto need real homes.”

  “I know,” Kyle agreed. “I thought those flyers would work right away, but no one has come by to adopt them.”

  But soon, that changed. At 9:30, Connor came to the vet’s office with his mom.

  “Are you here about the kittens?” Mia asked.

  Connor nodded happily. “We came to get one,” he said. “I talked to my mom about them, and she loves cats.”

  “I had a cat when I was growing up,” Connor’s mom told them. “She was a rescue, too. I really miss her. When Connor told me you had three rescue kittens looking for homes, I just couldn’t resist.”

  Kyle and Mia led Connor and his mom to the back room of the clinic where the kittens were being kept.

  “I want Tiger,” Connor said as they walked up to the kitten’s cage. “He’s the one who climbed out of the box first, Mom.”

  “So he’s smart and adorable!” Mrs. Moss exclaimed as Mia handed the big, yellow kitten to Connor.

  “One down and two to go,” Kyle said when Connor and his mom had left with their new kitten.

  “Three,” Mia corrected him. “We have to find a home for the mother cat, too.”

  A few minutes later, the phone rang. “Dr. Blake’s Veterinary Clinic,” Lillian answered. She paused, listening. “Yes, we still have two left, plus an adult cat.”

  “Was that someone calling about the kittens?” Kyle asked.

  Lillian nodded. “It was a man looking for a kitten for his daughter,” she said. “He saw one of your signs. They’ll be by this morning.”

  Kyle and Mia high-fived each other. “I knew they’d work!” Mia said.

  Thirty minutes later, the man and his daughter arrived. They played with the two remaining kittens for a few minutes before deciding to take Cheeto home. The little girl cuddled Cheeto close as they left.

  After they left, Lillian moved the kitten box into the waiting room so Smoke wouldn’t be lonely. The little, gray-and-white kitten climbed out of the box and used her kitten claws to climb up the receptionist’s pant leg. She immediately curled into a ball in Lillian’s lap and went to sleep.

  The clinic closed at noon for lunch, so Kyle and Mia decided to head next door to Kyle’s house to check on Rex. When they came back after lunch, an elderly woman was sitting in the waiting room with Dr. Blake. The mother cat was sitting in her lap, purring happily.

  “Mrs. Brown is going to take the mother,” Dr. Blake told them. “Her cat passed away last month.”

  “I need a new cat, and this one needs me,” Mrs. Brown said with a smile. “It’s a perfect match.”

  “That’s great news!” Mia exclaimed. She looked around the clinic, but she didn’t see the last kitten anywhere. “Hey, where did Smoke go?”

  “Lillian decided to take her home,” Dr. Blake said, smiling. “After Smoke took a nap on her lap earlier, she said she just couldn’t resist.”

  “Awesome!” Kyle exclaimed. “All three kittens have homes!”

  “And so does their mother!” Mia said happily. “Mission accomplished!”

  “I’m so proud of you both for taking such good care of the kittens,” Dr. Blake said. “I know you’ll miss them, but you did a great job finding good homes for all of them. You should be proud of yourselves.”

  The only one who didn’t seem happy was Rex. He looked into the empty box and whined. Then he flopped down on the floor and rested his chin on his paws.

  “I think Rex misses the kittens, too,” Mia said.

  “He’ll get over it,” Kyle said. “Watch.” He opened the door and grabbed a spare leash off the wall. “Rex, do you want to go for a walk?” he asked.

  Rex immediately jumped up and ran to Kyle. The dog was so excited, he panted and turned in circles.

  Mia laughed. “Kittens?” she said. “What kittens?”

  “Walks are more fun than kittens, huh, boy?” Kyle said as he snapped the leash on Rex’s collar.

  But Rex was already running out the door.
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  AUTHOR BIO

  Diana G. Gallagher lives in Florida with three dogs, eight cats, and a cranky parrot. She has written more than 90 books. When she’s not writing, Gallagher likes gardening, garage sales, and spending time with her grandchildren.

  ILLUSTRATOR BIO

  Adriana Isabel Juárez Puglisi has been a freelance illustrator and writer for more than twenty years and loves telling stories. She currently lives in Granada, Spain, with her husband, son, daughter, two dogs, a little bird, and several fish.

  GLOSSARY

  abandoned (uh-BAN-duhnd) — deserted or no longer used

  command (kuh-MAND) — to order someone to do something

  examine (eg-ZAM-uhn) — to look carefully at something

  investigate (in-VESS-tuh-gate) — to find out as much as possible about something

  nervous (NUR-vuhss) — fearful or timid

  protest (PROH-test) — to object to something strongly and publicly

  vacant (VAY-kuhnt) — empty or not occupied

  CARING FOR YOUR CAT

  Cats and kittens can make great pets, but like any animal, they need a responsible owner to help take care of them. Check out some tips for caring for your cat to make sure your pet stays safe and healthy!

  Make sure your cat wears a collar with an ID tag engraved with your address and phone number.

  Cats are carnivores, which means they eat meat. You can feed your cat wet food, dry food, or a combination of the two.

  Feed your cat twice a day. Throw out any leftover wet food that hasn’t been eaten after half an hour.

  Cats can sleep up to sixteen hours a day, so make sure that your cat has a cozy bed to curl up in.

  Cats use litter boxes to go to the bathroom. You should make sure to clean out your cat’s litter box daily.