by Holly Webb
“The little white kitten’s so cute!” Poppy said, reaching into the pen to pick him up. Whiskers shied away from her, but she didn’t seem to notice – she grabbed him, and took him out of his lovely safe pen, dangling him in front of her.
“Don’t scare him…” Mia said worriedly. She was itching to snatch Whiskers away from Poppy – it wasn’t that Poppy meant to frighten him, she just didn’t know how to hold him properly. But Whiskers wasn’t hers. She couldn’t boss Poppy around. And if Mia grabbed him, he’d only be even more scared. Emily was out of the room, helping her mum put everyone’s coats away, or Mia knew she’d have said something.
Poppy sat down on the floor, placing Whiskers on her lap and stroking him. But he was upset now, and he hissed and dug in his claws as he scrambled to get away from the loud, scary girl.
Poppy squeaked. “Ow, he scratched me!” She jerked her leg, and Whiskers slipped off her lap, landing on the floor with a worried mew.
“Sshh, sshh…Come here, Whiskers.” Mia stretched out a hand to him gently, and he gladly crept over to her, burrowing into her skirt as she put him on her lap.
“He didn’t mean to scratch you,” she told Poppy. “He’s just a bit shyer than the other kittens.”
Poppy nodded. “He’s sweet, but I like the tabby ones more. They’ve got such cute tricks! Oh, look, that one’s got wool all wrapped round her paws!”
Mia stroked Whiskers and sighed. He had cute tricks too, like the way his huge whiskers wobbled when he yawned, and the way he always put his front paws in the food bowl, now that the kittens were starting on solid food. It was just that Satin and the tabbies were so much bouncier, everyone always noticed them first.
“You need to be a bit more friendly,” she whispered to Whiskers. “You won’t find an owner if you keep hiding in your pen. People will be coming to see if they want to take you home, a few weeks from now. You’ve got to show everybody how gorgeous you are.” She smiled, rather sadly. She wanted Whiskers to have a lovely home of his own, but if he stayed at Emily’s, it meant she’d be able to carry on seeing him. Emily’s mum kept saying they were only keeping Satin, but if they couldn’t find a nice owner for Whiskers, she might change her mind…
Whiskers didn’t know what Mia was saying, but he liked listening to her, and she made him feel safe. He purred, very quietly, and nuzzled her hand.
“Shall we watch the film in our sleeping bags?” Emily suggested, as she took a bowl of popcorn out of the microwave. “Oh, this smells fab.”
“Definitely sleeping bags,” Poppy agreed.
“Can we bring the kittens?” Libby asked hopefully.
Emily’s mum looked thoughtful. “I suppose for a bit. But they’ll probably want to be back with Silky soon. And after the film, girls, you need to go to sleep! It’s getting late.”
The girls all nodded angelically, but Emily winked at Mia behind her mum’s back. “I’ve got a secret chocolate supply,” she whispered. “Are you bringing Whiskers?”
Mia nodded. “If you think he won’t mind. He prefers being in his pen, doesn’t he?”
Emily shook her head. “Not if it’s you cuddling him.”
Mia went pink. “Do you think he likes me that much?”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Of course he does! Come on!”
Mia went into the living room, and snuggled up in her sleeping bag – even with the heating on high, it was still chilly. Emily’s mum had said they’d better all sleep in a huddle to keep warm, like penguins, and she’d found loads of extra blankets. Whiskers sat on Mia’s tummy, purring quietly to himself. He was happy. He hadn’t been sure about the loud girls, and people grabbing him, but now he had Mia, and she didn’t seem to be going anywhere, like she usually was. He could even put up with the noisy girls if Mia was there too.
Mia hardly paid attention to the film at all. She was watching Whiskers, snuggled up on her sleeping bag and stroking him gently. His fur was so soft – and he was such a little cat, so different from Sandy.
As the film went on, the other kittens padded back to the kitchen, looking for Silky and their pen. But Whiskers curled up on top of Mia, and fell fast asleep – and he was still there the next morning.
Chapter Six
“Oh, Mia!” Dad laughed. “How did you get him to do that?” He’d just arrived to pick Mia up from the sleepover. Libby and Poppy had already gone; they had to hurry off to a dance class.
Mia shook her head, very, very carefully. “I didn’t, Dad. He just climbed up there. I think he’s eyeing my toast.”
From his place on her shoulder, Whiskers purred loudly, and Mia giggled as his long whiskers tickled her cheek. “I wish I didn’t have to go home and say goodbye to you!”
Her dad exchanged a thoughtful glance with Emily’s mum. “When will the kittens be ready to go to new homes?”
“Well, I was looking it up, and it seems that about ten or twelve weeks old would be best. Ours are four weeks now, so they’ll be ten weeks old about halfway through December. So I thought around then. It’s a bit close to Christmas, that’s the only problem. Everyone’s so busy, and I don’t want to be encouraging people to give kittens as presents.”
“Why not?” Mia asked. She thought a kitten would be a lovely Christmas present. Emily was having Satin for her birthday, after all.
“Well, people sometimes get a kitten for their children at Christmas, and don’t really think about them growing up into big cats who need looking after. Then sometimes they’re abandoned,” Emily’s mum added sadly. “Luckily, most kittens get born in the spring or summertime. Silky was a bit late!”
Mia reached up and tickled Whiskers under the chin. She could feel his purrs buzzing against her neck.
I could take you home, she thought to herself, just for a second. But then she remembered. She didn’t want another cat – not after Sandy. Very gently, she reached up, and lifted Whiskers off her shoulder, and took him over to the pen. “Sorry, sweetheart, I have to go.”
Whiskers stared after her in surprise. Had Mia not liked him sitting on her shoulder? Why was she going? He wailed – a loud, sad kitten wail that made Mia flinch as she scuttled into the hallway to grab her stuff.
She said goodbye to Emily quickly. She felt bad, rushing off, but she just couldn’t stay any longer. She was almost silent on the walk home, even though Dad kept trying to ask about the party.
“Mia, have you thought…?” Dad started, as they carried her things into the house. “Emily’s mum talking about homes for the kittens made me wonder. You seem to get on so well with Whiskers…”
He trailed off when Mia looked up at him with her eyes full of tears.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I thought I could, but what about Sandy? I’m not going to forget him! I never, ever want another cat again!”
“You don’t have to forget him, Mia…” Dad tried to say, but Mia raced off upstairs to her room and slammed the door behind her.
Over the next few weeks, Emily kept Mia updated as they started to look for new homes for the kittens. Her mum had put an ad in the newsagent’s, and the other local shops that had noticeboards. A couple of people had rung about coming to see them already.
“Someone called Maria is coming over on Saturday to see them all,” she told Mia, as they ate their packed lunches. “I’m sort of half-excited, half-sad. I really want them all to have nice homes.” Emily shook her head. “And at least we’re keeping Satin.”
Mia nodded. She wanted them to have good homes, too. Especially Whiskers. He needed a home with somebody who could love him properly, without always remembering another cat. It was no use Emily and Mum and Dad giving her all those hopeful looks. Sandy was her forever cat. She couldn’t replace him, not even with Whiskers.
Emily’s mum showed Maria into the kitchen, where Emily and Leah were playing with the kittens.
“Oh, aren’t they sweet! How many are there?” Maria asked, laughing as one of the tabbies sniffed her boots.
“Four,
but we’re keeping Satin – the black kitten. There are two female tabbies, and the little white boy. Did you want just one kitten?” Emily’s mum asked. “We’re thinking that the tabby girls might want to stay together – they’re such a team.”
“I was only planning on getting one,” Maria said. “I can’t see a white kitten…”
“He was here a minute ago!” Leah looked around the kitchen. “Now that they can climb out of their pen they’re all over the place.”
“He’s a little shy,” Emily’s mum explained. “But he’s very sweet once he gets used to you. Look, there he is!” She smiled, and pointed to the pen, where a little white head was poking out under the fleecy blanket. “I’ll get him out.” She picked him up and tried to pass him to Maria, but Whiskers squeaked in fright and then hissed, his paws all sticking out rigidly, and his tail fluffed out to twice its usual size.
“Oh dear, don’t make him if he doesn’t want to,” Maria said worriedly. “Poor thing, he really is nervous. There are a lot of cats round where I live, and I’m not sure this little one would cope very well if he’s so shy. I’m sorry – I’m sure you’ll find lovely homes for them all.”
Emily’s mum followed her to the door, and Emily and Leah looked down at Whiskers, who was now huddled in Leah’s arms.
“Oh, Whiskers,” Emily muttered. “No one’s going to want you if you do that every time. It’s so stupid! He wants to be Mia’s kitten, I know he does.”
Leah nodded. “I know. But we can’t make her have him. Maybe she’ll come round to the idea.”
Emily sighed. “I wish she’d hurry up about it.”
A couple of weeks later, Mia and her gran popped in on the way home from school, and found that only Whiskers and Satin were left.
“I’m not surprised Whiskers didn’t like them. The two little boys were quite noisy,” Emily’s mum was saying to Gran. “They thought Whiskers was lovely, and they were all set to choose him, but it was just like with Maria. They tried to cuddle him, and he actually shot out of the kitchen door, and went and hid in the cupboard under the stairs! So they decided they’d take the tabbies instead.” She laughed. “And they’re going to call them Molly and Polly. I don’t think they’ll ever be able to remember which is which!”
“So it’s only Whiskers now?” Mia asked, as Emily’s mum made Gran a coffee. Mia sat stroking the little ball of white fur curled up in her lap.
Emily nodded. “At least he’s still got Satin to play with. But Mum’s determined we’re only keeping one. We have to find Whiskers a home, and no one wants an unfriendly kitten.”
“He isn’t!” Mia said indignantly. “He’s a sweetheart. He’s just shy.” But maybe that’s a good thing, she admitted to herself. I really don’t want him to go…
Whiskers yawned, and wriggled himself comfortable again. Mia and Emily had been rolling balls of newspaper for him and Satin to chase, and he was exhausted. The kitchen was covered in shredded paper, though. Whiskers and Satin had done a thorough job… He rolled over on to his back, all four paws in the air, showing off his fat pinkish tummy. He was liking solid food more and more now, and after he’d had a meal, he was practically circular.
“But he’s so different with you…” Emily sighed. “He doesn’t mind playing with me and Leah, and he’ll let us stroke him. But I don’t think he’s ever gone to sleep on me. And definitely not upside down! That means he really trusts you, you know.”
Mia nodded. She didn’t dare say anything, but she looked up at Gran. She was smiling, and nodding as if she agreed with Emily. Maybe she was being silly. Was it like Gran had said when the kittens were born, that she was still holding on to missing Sandy? Was she making herself sad on purpose? Maybe it was finally time to let Sandy go…
Chapter Seven
“I’ll come and fetch you at about six then, Mia,” Gran said, one day after school. Gran gave her a kiss, and Mia waved goodbye. Whiskers was already weaving himself happily around her ankles, purring. His purr had definitely got louder as he got bigger, Mia decided. He was twelve weeks old now, definitely old enough for a new home. But no one seemed to want a rather shy, nervous little white cat. Mia didn’t mind. She was looking forward to spending lots of time with Whiskers over the Christmas holidays. It had even started to snow that morning, although the flakes hadn’t really settled. She was sure that Whiskers would look gorgeous if they took him out to play in the snow. He would be invisible, except for his round blue eyes!
Whiskers patted at her leg with his paw, asking to be picked up. Mia came to see him almost every day now, but he still missed her when she wasn’t there. One day maybe she would take him with her?
“Hello, Mister Whiskers.” Mia picked him up and cuddled him. “What shall we do, mm?”
“Homework!” Emily said, grinning and waving the sheet Mrs Jones, their teacher, had given them for the project they had to do over the Christmas holidays. It was the last week of term and neither of the girls really felt like working, but Mrs Jones was known as the scariest teacher at their school. The project had to get planned, even if it was only a little over a week till Christmas Day. “We have to sort this project out, remember? Come on, bring Whiskers with you.” She scooped up Satin, leaving Silky alone in the hallway, looking quite relieved. Whiskers and Satin were so much bigger now, and so bouncy that they wore Silky out.
“I can smell fishfingers,” Mia said, a while later. “So can Whiskers and Satin, look at them!” The kittens were prowling up and down by Emily’s bedroom door, their tails twitching eagerly.
“I think our plan sounds quite good,” Emily said, looking down at what they’d written. “Animals in the time of Queen Victoria. I bet no one else will have thought of that. It’s a brilliant idea, Mia.”
Mia laughed. “I’ll have the ideas, you do the writing. You almost finished the whole plan while I was just cuddling Whiskers. Do you think tea’s ready? The smell of those fishfingers is making me hungry, too.”
“Must be. Let’s go and see.” Emily opened the door, and the kittens shot out on to the landing and eyed the stairs uncertainly. They wanted to be down there with the delicious fishy smell – but they weren’t really sure about stairs yet…
Whiskers looked at Mia pleadingly, and she laughed and picked him up. She carried him down to the kitchen, while Emily followed with Satin.
Emily’s mum smiled as they came in. “Look at those kittens! I’ve never seen them look so hungry. We’d better find the fishy-flavour kitten food.”
“I think they’d rather just have the fishfingers,” Emily said, going to the cupboard for the tin, and spooning out the kitten food. “Uurgh, this one smells the worst!”
But Satin and Whiskers raced for their bowls, and gulped down the food eagerly.
Emily’s mum had just passed Leah, Emily and Mia their tea, when the phone rang. She went to answer it, fighting with her oven gloves. “Hello? Oh, yes… That’s right. There’s actually only one kitten left now.”
Mia smiled, pausing with her fork halfway to her mouth. A paw was patting her knee. Whiskers must have wolfed down his kitten food already, and now he was on the hunt for something even nicer. She scooped him up on to her lap, and fed him a tiny bit of fishfinger. Emily’s mum wasn’t looking, she was concentrating on the phone call.
“Oh, you’ve been looking for a white kitten? That’s wonderful. He is a little bit shy though, that’s the only thing. He’s very friendly once he knows you, but he may not want to be picked up.”
The person on the other end of the phone didn’t seem to mind this. Emily’s mum was nodding and smiling.
Whiskers stared up at Mia, hoping for some more fishfinger. His whiskers shook with excitement as he reached up a little white paw to pat Mia’s hand.
But she didn’t give him any. She put down her fork, very slowly and quietly, and stared at him. The kitten’s whiskers drooped. Mia’s face had changed; she didn’t look like the girl who’d been sneaking him scraps a moment before. She was pale and m
iserable. Whiskers mewed, his ears flattening against his head. What was wrong?
“Tomorrow evening? Yes, that would be great. See you then.” Emily’s mum put down the phone, smiling. “Someone wants to come and see Whiskers! Her name’s Miriam, and she says she’s rehomed a nervous cat before, so she doesn’t mind if he’s shy. And she’s always wanted to have a white kitten. It’s perfect!”
Emily nodded, but she was looking worriedly at Mia.
Mia gulped. It was. Whiskers was going to have a perfect home – and it wasn’t with her. She’d let this happen. If only she’d been brave enough to say that she wanted him to be her kitten – that she still loved Sandy, but she’d said goodbye to him.
She stood up jerkily, huddling Whiskers against her tummy, and passed him to Emily. “I’m sorry, I’m not feeling very well. I have to go home,” she said, hurrying to the front door.
“Mia, wait! I’ll call your gran,” Emily’s mum said worriedly.
“It’s OK, I’ll be fine,” Mia called back, tears already stinging her eyes as she wrestled with the front door catch. At last it gave, and she dashed down the path.
Mewing frantically, Whiskers made a flying leap off Emily’s knee and chased after her. Where was she going? She hadn’t even tickled his ears and scratched under his chin, like she usually did when she left.
He shot out of the front door, on to the path, and looked around. He’d never been out at the front of the house, only on carefully-guarded trips into the back garden. The garden was frozen over with a layer of frost, and snowflakes were flurrying down from the darkening sky. If Mia had been with him, Whiskers would have chased the strange fluffy things, but now he hardly noticed them. He had no idea where Mia had gone. He sat down on the path and wailed for her.