by Rachel Wells
After a while, Tomasz left to go and look for George. Poor Tomasz, he felt guilty at leaving us before George was found, so he was sacrificing his sleep to have one last look, but I had a terrible, sinking feeling it was fruitless. I was beginning to give up all hope. How could I continue to put one paw in front of the other? How could I eat, sleep, ever be happy again? I was pretty sure that unless George came back, I couldn’t.
The next morning Tiger woke up and stretched; we had spent the entire night outside and I had been unable to get back to sleep. The sun was beginning to come up and as I saw Tomasz coming back again. I looked, hopefully, to see if he had George, but his arms were empty. As he came up to our front door, I looked at Tiger, who nodded. I was going to go inside to see if there was any news. He rang the doorbell and I stood at his feet as Jonathan, wearing his dressing gown and with hair messier than I’d ever seen it before, opened the door. His skin was pale and I guessed he hadn’t slept much either. Wordlessly, he stepped aside and let Tomasz and me in.
‘No luck?’ he said, as they made their way into the kitchen. He began to fiddle with the coffee machine.
‘I walked around for hours. No sign. But, Jon, I need to say something. I have decided that I am going to Poland today. I book a flight, I leave the restaurants with the managers.’
‘Mate, you’re going to get your family back!’ I saw a faint glimmer of a smile on Jonathan’s lips.
‘I feel so bad leaving when George is missing but I need to tell Franceska and the boys how important they are to me.’
‘Yes, Tom, you do and you know we’ll find George. I just feel it. So you go and I’ll text with any news, but first you need coffee, you look like death warmed up.’
‘Then looking at you is like looking in a mirror,’ Tomasz joked.
‘Who knew how painful this could be. And for poor Alfie too. You know, we will find him,’ Jonathan said again, but I wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince – me, Tomasz or himself.
I watched the house come alive but there was a flatness to everyone. Even little Summer wasn’t her usual self, she must sense that something was wrong. Children can be quite perceptive, I had learnt, though not quite as perceptive as cats. Claire wore her emotions on her face and I knew she had been crying. She kept hugging me and saying how sorry she was. Jonathan kept giving us both worried glances as he filled Claire in on Tomasz’s revelation.
‘I’m so glad he’s come to his senses,’ Claire said. ‘But honestly I wish it hadn’t taken losing George to do it.’
‘No, darling, nothing is worth losing George for,’ Jonathan agreed.
I had some water and tried to eat, although it felt as if the food would choke me. Spotting George’s bowl sitting empty in the cupboard was almost more than my heart could bear. I cleaned myself up a bit and listened to Claire and Jonathan trying to come up with a plan.
‘We’ve looked around, we’ve put posters up and we have Vic and Heather on the case. I think our best bet might be to sit tight here and hope the phone rings,’ Jonathan suggested.
‘I agree. Tomasz has been looking all night, we searched everywhere all day yesterday, and Vic and Heather even spoke to the police. If we stay close to home we might hear news or maybe, just maybe, George will come home.’
Oh, how I envied their optimism. Though I felt a little angry with them – they seemed to think they could sit around and do nothing. There was no way I could that. I had to be out there, doing something. Even if it was fruitless.
I left the house and made my way round to the front of the house to see Tiger looking uncertainly at something.
‘What is it?’ I said, rushing up to her.
‘Your friend is coming,’ she said, sounding nervous,‘and he has someone with him.’ I squinted as I saw Dustbin approaching from a distance. My heart swelled with hope but the cat with him wasn’t George, it was a big black cat. Tiger and I both sat upright, waiting for them to approach.
‘Alfie, can we talk somewhere a bit more private?’ Dustbin asked, gesturing to his companion. I wordlessly led them under our bush, where we’d be hidden.‘Right, first things first. This is Mr B. And Mr B, this is Alfie and Tiger.’ We all nodded our hellos. ‘Mr B is the best in the business, an expert at finding stuff. In fact, he helped me when your Snowball was lost.’
‘I remember it well,’ said Mr B.‘Pretty white cat, got herself into a bit of a scrape. Anyway, the thing is, Dustbin told me about the lamppost cats, and I’ve spent a bit of time looking into it, and I think we’ve got the answer.’
‘Really?’ I couldn’t breathe. They had found George?
‘Look, it’s been a bit of a job, but we got lucky, or we think we have. It seems that someone’s going round picking up cats off the street when they aren’t expecting it.’
‘You mean there really is a cat snatcher?’ Tiger looked terrified.
‘Yes. We don’t know who it is or why they’re doing it, but after extensive work we have found the house we think the cats have been taken to. Think is the operative word here – we can’t be one hundred per cent sure. But after doing some surveillance around this area we heard reports of unsocial levels of cat noise.’ Mr B sounded very professional, I thought. Once again I was indebted to Dustbin.
‘George is there?’ I asked.
‘We don’t know, Alfie. We know where the house is, it’s not far from here, but getting in isn’t going to be easy. The front has a high gate, which we can’t see over – it’s too tall to get up there. Attached to it is a wire fence which leads around a garden. We could see in but the curtains were all drawn and the house was in darkness. However, we were able to verify that indeed there were a large number of cats there.’
‘How?’ Tiger asked.
‘Good question,’ Mr B replied. ‘There’s a lot of noise, although be reassured we didn’t necessarily hear cats in distress, just cat chatter, and more than would be normal for a domestic house. Then there’s a shelter at the back which is packed full of tins of cat food and big bags of biscuits.’ I shuddered, I didn’t like cat food from tins myself.‘The house is also being guarded by some kind of creature right next to the wire fence. With the high gate, the drawn curtains on every window, the cat food and these guards, the evidence points to the fact that the person living there is hiding something – or rather, is hiding lots of cats.’
‘I guess it makes sense.’ I felt doubtful but we had nothing else.
‘Alfie, we can’t be certain, but if George is there then we need to find out soon. We need a plan,’ Dustbin said. I felt a tiny bit of hope swell inside me. This was the first bit of news since George had gone missing and I needed to be strong now, for my boy.
They needed a plan. Well, they had come to the right place.
Chapter Thirty-one
I felt nervous. Of all the plans I had ever put into play, this one had the most riding on it. Not only George but potentially all the lamppost cats would be saved by this. I had rounded up as many of my friends as I could to explain what we needed to do.
After long discussions with Mr B and Dustbin I had all the information I needed, and they had even taken Tiger and I to the house. As they had said, it was in total darkness, but we could hear faint cat noises coming from inside. The front gate wasn’t going to help us but the back fence, which stretched around the house, was wire, and although it wouldn’t be easy, it provided a possibility.
The best thing though was that the creatures guarding the house turned out to be hens. Their run followed the fence all the way along its length, so the only way to get into the garden was via them. I managed to poke my nose through the fence, and although they were angry, squawking and wobbling their heads at me, when I explained that I had many hen friends in the country – only a slight exaggeration – they were more welcoming. At least they didn’t try to peck me through the fence with their beaks, anyway. We didn’t exactly communicate easily but we managed to establish that I would need their help, and as they calmed down I think th
ey agreed to it. I was thankful for my time in the country: my understanding of hens looked as if it was finally coming in handy.
‘Impressive,’ Dustbin said as I came back. ‘But that fence will be tricky to climb.’ He was right: it was tall and there was spiked wire along the top. It didn’t look very safe.
‘I know, I think I can do it though, if I put my mind to it,’ I said, trying to sound brave, although I was quaking all the way down to my paws.
‘Oh, Alfie, are you sure, it looks as if it could really hurt you and your leg …’Tiger sounded worried.
‘Tiger, if my boy is in there I have to do it. I’ll get over there somehow.’ The others looked worried but it was agreed that Dustbin would accompany me. Tiger and I then left Dustbin and Mr B to keep watch on the house. They were going to wait there, because we still had a lot to do before we were ready for the actual cat rescue.
‘So, Alfie, what can we do?’ Rocky asked as I told them about the house.
I outlined our plan from start to finish, leaving no stone unturned, and by the time I had finished speaking everyone understood how serious it was. ‘So, guys, I’m going to go. Dustbin and Mr B are waiting.’ I looked at Tiger, the only other cat who knew where the house was. She was needed in case anything went wrong.‘I have to sort out the humans too, but if you guys could find Salmon for me then that would be great. Tiger, can you direct Salmon to the house?’ I explained exactly what I needed Salmon to do. I wanted to give all my friends a part in the plan, although many of them were just going to be supportive roles. I knew how important it was for them to feel useful. Tinkerbell was going to assist Tiger, whilst Rocky, Nellie and Elvis were going to ensure they knew what was going on and would warn either Tiger or Tinkerbell of any problems. I could see how fired up they all were. Frightened, yes, but adrenaline was pumping through all of us. We were going to rescue George.
This plan was risky because I couldn’t do it with my cats alone. I had to get the humans involved and that wasn’t going to be easy. However, everyone agreed they knew their parts and what they had to do, so I felt as confident as I could.
‘Good luck, Alfie, we’re all supporting you, and we’ll be waiting to see you come home safely with the boy,’ Elvis said.
‘You’re such a brave cat,’ Nellie added.
I took a deep breath, and went to put the plan into action.
My first stop was home. I needed some humans with me and my preferred ones were Jonathan and Matt. They were physically fit and if I could get them to come with me then that would be half the battle won. Or quite a bit of it anyway. I still had quite a bit of work to do, as did Dustbin, who being such a tough cat was my chosen sidekick.
Once we got to the house I knew everything would happen very quickly, but first I had to get there and hope that I could get at least some of my humans there too.
I walked into the kitchen. It was funny how wrong it felt without George. He had only lived with us for a short time but the house needed him. I padded my way over to where Claire and Tash were feeding the children. Polly was pacing, as was Matt. Jonathan was on his phone.
‘Oh, Alfie, there you are,’ Claire said.‘I guess there’s still no news?’
‘Miaow.’ I took a breath.‘Miaow, miaow, miaow, miaow,’ I screeched as loudly as I could. Everyone stared at me. Right, so I’d got their attention. I ran around in circles, still yowling, then I ran towards the front door, the idea being that someone would follow me.
As I sat by the front door, listening to them all talking about me in the kitchen, I began to realise that might not happen.
‘Has he gone mad?’ Tash asked.
‘Blimey, who knew he could even make that noise,’ Jonathan said. OK, I told myself, trying to keep calm, this wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought.
I went back and repeated the routine, yowling, miaowing and making as much noise as I could, but they all just stared at me dumbfounded, and then Summer burst into tears. I was feeling frustrated as Claire comforted her, telling her not to worry, though she looked worried herself. I went to Jonathan. He was my only hope it seemed, and that was slim. Honestly, they say humans are clever, but really? These guys were not showing it very well. I tried to sit up and swipe at his leg, but he just looked at me.
‘What, Alfie?’ he asked.
‘YOWL!!’ I replied, but still he looked confused. I hated to do it, and hoped he would forgive me later, but I had no choice. I scratched him as forcefully as I could.
‘Ow! What on earth did you do that for?’
I took my chance as he looked at me angrily. ‘MEOW,’ I said, running towards the front door.
‘I think he wants you to follow him,’ Claire said at last.‘Do you think he knows something?’
As I sat by the front door, bashing it with my head to further illustrate my point, Matt, Jonathan and Polly finally appeared. At this rate I would have to knock myself out before they did what I needed them to do. As Jonathan opened the door I ran out, glad to see he followed me.
‘What is he doing?’ Polly asked as she stood at the door.
‘No idea, but Jon and I will follow him, you guys stay with the kids. I’ll call you if anything happens,’ Matt shouted as they started following me down the road. I took the route that I had memorised so carefully. I was tired but we had to hurry. If George was in that strange house then I wanted him out of there as quickly as possible.
I remembered the route perfectly, which was a huge relief, and as I reached the house, Mr B and Dustbin were waiting for me. I wasn’t sure what Matt and Jonathan would think but Mr B slipped into the shadows, leaving only Dustbin and me.
‘I think I saw your boy,’ Dustbin whispered. ‘There was a moment when the curtain went back and I can’t be sure but I think it might have been George.’
‘I hope it was.’ My heart sang at the idea.‘Are you ready?’ I asked, and Dustbin indicated he was.
Matt and Jonathan were standing by the high gate, trying and failing to open it. They banged on it loudly but to no avail.
‘What is this?’ Matt asked.
‘No idea, maybe Alfie really has gone mad? Mad cat’s disease or something,’ Jonathan said. I yowled at him – this was no time for jokes.‘OK, sorry. Right, Alfie. What is this place and who is that enormous cat?’
‘I can’t be sure but I think it might be Tomasz’s restaurant cat,’ Matt said, looking puzzled.
‘Nothing would surprise me with these guys,’ Jonathan said, as we led them to the fence. I miaowed a lot to get the chickens’ attention. They stared at me with their small beady eyes but stayed quiet, which I took to mean they were ready for us. I took a breath and then started scaling the fence. It wasn’t easy: the wire was slippery and it was high.
‘Blimey, what’s he doing?’ Matt asked. I noticed neither of them tried to help me.
‘Do you think, I mean, is it possible, that maybe George is in that house?’
‘I can’t see why else Alfie would do that. He doesn’t like heights remember.’
As I climbed with Dustbin by my side, encouraging me, I ignored the humans. At least they had figured out why we were here, so hopefully they would actually do something useful now. After what seemed like forever, I made it over the spikes and prepared to begin my descent. Going down looked so much scarier than coming up. I froze.
‘I think we should call the police,’ Jonathan said finally.
‘And say what?’ Matt replied.
‘That there might be a cat snatcher in that house,’ Jonathan said. I glanced back at him from the top of the fence and he pulled out his phone.
‘What evidence do we have though?’ Matt asked.
‘Well, they have our cat, or they will in a minute anyway. Look, Alfie’s about get in there.’
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jonathan pull out his phone and start to dial, looking anxious.
‘They might not believe us,’ Matt said.‘Although yes, if you say our cat is in there it might work.’
‘Exactly. Unless you’ve got any better ideas? If there is a cat snatcher in there they might be nasty, so we can’t take them on.’
‘True, right, get the police,’ Matt said, still sounding uncertain.
‘It’s OK, Alfie,’ Dustbin said quietly. ‘Watch me, just go quickly, gripping where you can, and you’ll be on the ground in no time.
I was still terrified. Matt was right, I didn’t like heights – and what if Dustbin and I were heading into terrible danger? I was glad Jonathan was calling the police.
I gave myself a little pep talk and, as I saw Dustbin reach the bottom, I knew I could do it. I could do it for my boy. I landed a little roughly but I made it. Dustbin still looked scared of the chickens but he managed to jump out of the coop easily. I looked at the chickens.
‘I hope you understand this. I’m going to chase you, but I promise I won’t hurt you, I just need you to make a lot of noise,’ I told them.
‘Cluck, cluck, cluck,’ they replied, which I was pretty sure was hen-speak for ‘yes’.
I took a breath and started running after the chickens. They flew everywhere, and thankfully they must have understood me as they made a huge racket. Even though I was tired, I kept going, and the chickens made more and more noise. Probably a bit more than necessary, but then chickens could be quite dramatic. Feathers started flying. I hadn’t even done anything.
‘Blimey, why is he chasing chickens? He was scared of them when we were on holiday – didn’t want to go anywhere near them,’ Jonathan said. ‘Alfie, stop that, stop that now!’ he shouted, but of course I wasn’t going to stop for him.
Finally a door sprang open and a scruffy lady emerged. As she ran at me screaming, Dustbin managed to sneak into house. Great, the first part of our plan had worked!
‘Get off my chickens,’ the woman shouted; she sounded a bit like the queen. ‘Get off them!’ Yeah, as if, I thought. I chased the chickens even harder, until I was sure Dustbin was safely inside. Thankfully the woman had forgotten to shut the door too. The idea was that he would tell all the cats to come out, so there could be no doubt that this person had the missing lamppost cats. I just hoped she did have them, after all of this. It would be a bit embarrassing otherwise.