The Abandoned Kitten

by Sue Mongredien

  Lily quickly washed her hands and stroked the tiny kittens with her finger. Their bodies were soft and warm. “It’s all right,” she whispered. “Don’t worry. We know you’re hungry.”

  “I’m hungry, too,” Max said at that moment, suddenly remembering the pizzas. “Are we allowed something to eat?”

  “Definitely,” said Dad. “Wash your hands and then sit at the table, boys. Pizza number one is about to be served and pizza number two can wait until the kitten feeding is over.”

  “I can wait till later,” Lily said at once. “Shall I carry on helping you, Mum?”

  “Yes, please,” Mum replied. “If you could keep comforting the other two while I feed the first one, that would be wonderful.”

  Everyone watched Mum as she scooped the black-and-white kitten out of the cat carrier. It was so small it easily fitted into her hand – just a handful of fluff with a tiny scrap of a tail. Lily glanced up at the window and saw that the rain was still pouring down outside. She was so glad the kittens had been found.

  Meg came over to smell the kitten, but Dad gently pulled her away by her collar. “Let’s look from a distance, Meg,” he said, patting her side. “Good girl.”

  Mum sat down with the kitten cuddled on her lap and then, using a small dropper, she carefully squeezed a few drops of warm milk into the kitten’s open pink mouth.

  The kitten spluttered a little before swallowing the milk. Then it opened its mouth again for more.

  Lily watched, still gently stroking the other two. “Is that one a boy or a girl kitten, Mum?” she asked.

  “This is one of the boys,” Mum replied. “There are two boys and a girl.”

  “Two boys and a girl, eh?” Dad said, putting plates of pizza slices on the table for Jacob and Max. “Now where have I heard that before?”

  “The brothers are the coolest,” Max said immediately, nudging Jacob.

  Jacob nodded, his mouth full. “The brothers are the best,” he agreed.

  Lily caught Mum’s eye and they both smiled. “Which is the girl?” Lily asked.

  “The little tabby,” Mum said. “She’s the smallest of the bunch, which probably means she’s the youngest.”

  Lily stroked the tabby, who had pretty stripy markings. “You’re definitely the cutest,” she whispered to her. “Don’t listen to my brothers, OK?”

  “There,” said Mum after a few minutes, when the black-and-white kitten had drunk enough. “One down, two to feed.”

  “That was quick,” Dad commented, forking some salad into his mouth.

  “Their tummies are so small it doesn’t take long to fill them up,” Mum replied. “Although it does mean that they’ll be hungry again in a few hours.” She gently returned the black-and-white kitten to the blanket and took out the all-black kitten, who was squeaking sorrowfully. “Your turn now, little one,” she said soothingly.

  “So the kittens will need feeding again when we’re in bed?” Lily asked. “And in the middle of the night?”

  “Yes,” said Mum. “Every two and a half hours or thereabouts. Just like you three when you were tiny babies.”

  “Cool,” said Max. “Can we stay up all night, too?”

  “No chance.” Dad said, laughing. “Finish that pizza, then you can have some cake.”

  Lily had been so excited by the kittens, she’d forgotten all about the cake. “Oh yes!” she said. “Me and Dad baked it especially for you, Mum.”

  “Wow,” Mum said, looking pleased. “Kind children, a pizza-baking husband and a cake… what a lucky mum I am.”

  Woof! went Meg. “Not forgetting the best dog ever,” Mum said, with a smile.

  Now that he had been fed, the first kitten’s tummy was round and full like a little drum, and he dozed contentedly. “Let’s feed your brother next,” Mum said, cradling the all-black kitten. She glanced in at the tabby. “Little sister might need some extra help.”

  “What do you mean?” Lily asked.

  “Well, she had difficulty drinking back at the centre,” Mum explained. “I thought I’d feed the boys quickly, and then I can spend a bit longer with her.”

  While the second kitten drank his milk, Lily continued to stroke the tabby, whose squeaks had grown fainter, almost as if she was too hungry to meow. “Your turn next,” Lily assured her. “Not long to wait.”

  Meg was still watching everything with great interest, and Dad patted her fondly. “This reminds me of when our Meg was tiny,” he said. “It doesn’t seem five minutes since Mum was sitting there feeding her with a bottle.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” Mum said, then smiled at the children. “It’s hard to believe it now she’s such a lovely bouncy dog, but Meg was left all alone, too, a tiny, hungry puppy.” She glanced at Meg, who was gazing adoringly back. “So tiny she could fit in my pocket, can you believe?”

  “You’d need massive pockets to fit Meg in one now,” Jacob said, his eyes wide. “Pockets like sleeping bags!”

  “You’ve never heard such sad little whimpers as when we first got Meg,” Dad said. “I thought it was you crying, Lily, until I saw our new arrival. Baby number two, so weak and small. Poor girly.” He patted her again and she wagged her tail happily. “You turned out all right, though, hey?” he said.

  The boys finished their cake, and Dad went upstairs to help them with their bath. Then there was just the tabby kitten left to feed. She had stopped mewing altogether now, and lay still and quiet, as if her last scrap of energy had gone.

  “Come on, poppet,” Mum said, gently lifting her out and laying her on her lap.

  Lily watched closely. The tabby seemed very limp and was barely moving. “Is she all right?” she asked, feeling alarmed.

  “She’s gone through a bit of an ordeal,” Mum said, positioning the dropper at the tabby’s mouth. “Come on, lovely. Open your mouth for me.”

  The tabby still didn’t move as Mum tried to tempt her with the milk. “Here we are,” Mum coaxed. “Nice warm milk. Let’s see if you can manage to drink something this time.”

  Lily bit her lip. Why wasn’t the tabby kitten responding? Something didn’t feel right. “Did she have any milk earlier at the RSPCA centre?” she asked.

  “Not much,” Mum said, gently prising open the tabby’s mouth. “Come on, little one. You really need to drink this.” She slid the end of the dropper inside and carefully squeezed a drop of milk into the kitten’s mouth.

  Lily held her breath. Nothing happened for a long, awful moment, and Lily was just starting to fear the worst when the kitten stirred feebly and coughed.

  Mum looked concerned but tried again, giving the dropper another tiny squeeze so that a single creamy drop of milk fell into the kitten’s mouth. Once again the tabby merely coughed and spluttered, and the milk dribbled straight out on to Mum’s jeans.

  “Oh dear.” Mum sighed. “This one still can’t suck the milk like her brothers.”

  “But she’ll learn, right?” Lily asked. Her tummy felt funny as she gazed from the helpless kitten up to Mum’s anxious face.

  Mum didn’t reply for a moment. “I hope so, love,” she said, trying once more to feed the tabby. “But. . .”

  “But what?” Lily asked. She was starting to feel really frightened for the kitten.

  “Well, these kittens are very young to be without their mother,” Mum replied eventually. “We’ve got to be prepared for the fact that they might not survive, unfortunately. All three of them are very weak, and I’m afraid that being out in the cold rain might have made them ill.” She gazed down at the tabby, who was still spluttering over the milk. “I hate to say it, but this little baby may not even make it through the night.”

  Tears swelled in Lily’s eyes. “You mean she could die?”

  Mum reached out and put a hand on Lily’s. “Hopefully not,” she said. “I’m going to do my very best
to keep these kittens warm and fed, but I can’t say that everything will be all right just yet. The next few days are critical.” She glanced up at the ceiling, through which they could hear the noisy rumpus of Jacob and Max having their bath. “Perhaps it’s best not to tell your brothers about this, OK?” she added. “They’re too young to understand.”

  Lily nodded, feeling hopeless. She couldn’t bear the thought of any of the kittens not surviving. Then she felt a surge of determination. She crouched beside Mum and stroked the tiny tabby. “Come on,” she urged. “Let’s have some girl power, hey? Drink your milk. It’ll make you feel much better. For me?”

  Lily and Mum spent the next few minutes trying to feed the kitten, both coaxing and encouraging her in soft voices. At last, Mum got a couple of drops of milk inside her, and then the kitten seemed to doze off again. “It’s hard to tell if she’s asleep when her eyes are shut the whole time,” Mum said, “but she’s had a bit to drink, at least. I think that’s all we can do for now.”

  “Do you think it’s enough?” Lily asked, feeling tense.

  “Let’s hope so,” Mum said, carefully lifting the tabby back on to the blanket with her brothers. “Now there’s one more important job to do before their next meal.”

  Mum explained that usually after feeding, the mother cat would wash the kittens, licking them with her rough tongue. This sensation helped the kittens digest the milk properly and go to the toilet. She laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to lick the kittens myself,” she said, seeing Lily’s expression. “I’ll use some damp cotton wool instead. It’ll work just as well.”

  Despite her worries, Lily found herself giggling at the thought of Mum licking the kittens. “Phew,” she said. “Can I watch?”

  “Of course you can,” Mum said.

  Mum gently wiped the kittens, then found an empty, clean cardboard box from the utility room. “I’ll make a bed for them in here,” she said, putting it on the table. Next she boiled the kettle and topped up the kittens’ hot-water bottle, then placed it with their blanket into the box. Last of all, she scooped up the kittens, one by one, and put them into their cosy new home.

  “OK, guys, sleep well,” she said to them. “More milk in a few hours.” She put an arm around Lily. “Now it’s our turn to eat. You must be starving.”

  While Mum washed her hands and took their pizza out of the bottom oven, Lily stayed with the kittens, reaching in and stroking them all very gently. She could feel their tiny ribs rising and falling as they breathed. “I’m sorry you don’t have a mummy,” she whispered to them. “It must have been really scary, being on your own out in the rain. But you’re safe with us now, and we’re going to look after you the best we can, OK?”

  The kittens were still snoozing in the box when Lily went up to bed that night, but she found it hard to get to sleep herself for worrying about them. Please let them be all right, she kept thinking. Please let them still be here in the morning.

  When at last she managed to drift off, Lily fell into a series of dreams about the kittens. She dreamed that she went down for breakfast and the kitchen was full of kittens – black ones, ginger ones, grey ones, tortoiseshell ones – all over the table, climbing the curtains, and even riding on Meg’s back.

  She woke with a start, her eyes flicking open in the darkness, her heart gradually slowing. It was just a silly dream, she told herself, but then she immediately wondered how the real kittens were getting on. Rolling over, she saw that it was half past one in the morning. She hoped the tiny tabby had managed to feed better so far during the night.

  A moment later, she heard Mum and Dad’s bedroom door open with a creak, then soft footsteps outside her room. She listened as the footsteps went padding down the stairs and realized it must be Mum getting up to give the kittens another feed. That only made Lily feel more wide awake than ever – there was no way she could fall back asleep without knowing what was happening in the kitchen. Were the kittens all right?

  Lily couldn’t stay in bed another minute. She got up and pulled on her dressing gown before tiptoeing downstairs after Mum.

  Rain was still speckling the windows but the kitchen was bright and cosy as Lily crept in. Meg was curled up in her basket and opened one eye to see her, greeting her with a soft woof.

  Mum was mixing up another feed for the kittens but turned round at the sound. “Lily!” she said in surprise. “What are you doing up at this time of night? Can’t you sleep?”

  Lily didn’t answer. She barely heard what Mum was saying. “Are they OK?” she asked anxiously, walking over to the cardboard box. She could hear the high-pitched hungry squeaks the kittens were making and gazed in, rapidly counting one, two, three animals. She let out a breath of relief and reached in to stroke them. “Hello,” she said softly. “Is it milk time again?”

  “It certainly is,” said Mum, filling a dropper with the warm kitten milk. “The two black ones have been guzzling it down since you went up to bed. They seem to be sucking better already, which is really good news.”

  “How about the little tabby?” Lily asked, running a finger gently down her soft back. “Has she started feeding properly as well?”

  Mum hesitated. “Not yet,” she said after a moment, tightening the lid of the dropper. “But I’ll keep on trying. Hopefully this time she’ll take a bit more.”

  “Can I try feeding her?” Lily asked.

  “Not tonight, love,” Mum said. “I’ve got to do this really carefully, so that exactly the right amount of milk goes into her mouth. But why don’t you take one of the boys? They’ve got the hang of it, so they’re easier to feed. Have this dropper, and I’ll use a different one.”

  Lily sat down, and Mum placed the black kitten in the crook of her right arm. He felt warm and wriggly as he nestled into her sleeve. He knew exactly what to do and opened his little pink mouth expectantly for the milk. Lily smiled. “He’s like a baby bird,” she said, carefully positioning the end of the dropper in his mouth and giving the rubbery top a gentle squeeze. “Good boy,” she whispered happily, hearing him swallow the milk in the next moment. “Clever boy, that’s it.”

  Meanwhile, Mum had sat down with the tabby. She was mewing weakly but still didn’t seem to know what to do when the milk squirted into her mouth, either spluttering or letting it dribble down her chin.

  “Come on, girly,” Mum coaxed. “Don’t spit it out. We need you to drink this all up now.”

  After only a few minutes, the black kitten seemed to be full. “I think he’s dozed off again,” Lily said when his mouth remained closed. She put the dropper on the table, then stood up, carrying the kitten as carefully as if he were a precious jewel.

  “Can you manage?” Mum asked, watching her.

  “Yes, thanks,” Lily said, lowering him back into the box. She felt really proud of herself as she watched him snuggle snoozily against his brother. “Shall I feed the other one, too?”

  “Please,” Mum said. “Thanks, Lils, you’re being really helpful. But you need to go straight up to bed afterwards, all right? Mrs Butler won’t be very pleased with me if you fall asleep in school tomorrow.”

  “OK,” Lily replied. She slid her hand under the black-and-white kitten and cupped her other hand protectively over the top of him while she lifted him up. Then she held him close to her chest as she went back to her chair and sat down.

  “You’re a natural,” Mum told her, and Lily glowed with pride. She couldn’t think of anything nicer than looking after animals. She had already decided to follow in Mum’s footsteps and work for the RSPCA when she was a grown-up.

  Like his brother, the black-and-white kitten was keen to drink the warm milk, and before long, Lily had to refill the dropper for more. “What a hungry boy you are,” she said, watching him suck contentedly. “He’s drinking lots, Mum.”

  “Good,” said Mum. “I wish this little one would do the same. Come on, pu
ss. You can do it.” Lily could see that her dropper had plenty of milk left.

  Once the black-and-white kitten was full, Lily put him back in the box. She yawned and Mum noticed at once. “Back to bed now, Lily,” she told her. “You’ll be too tired to help me with the kittens tomorrow if you don’t have enough sleep tonight.”

  Lily hesitated. She didn’t want to leave the kittens just yet. “Do you think she’ll be all right?” she asked. “The tabby, I mean. Has she had much to drink yet?”

  “A few drops,” Mum replied, putting her back into the box. “It’s not much, but it’s something. And she’s so small that even a tiny bit of milk will help. Fingers crossed anyway.”

  Lily crossed as many fingers as she could. “Can I do anything else to help?” she asked, still unwilling to go upstairs. “Should I wipe them for you, or. . .?”

  “You’ve done plenty,” Mum said. “I can manage the rest. Thank you.” She gave Lily a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Off you go now, before those bare feet of yours turn to ice blocks.”

  Lily could hear the wind rattling the branches of the trees outside, and the rain was now beating against the windows. “Will the kittens be warm enough in here with just a hot-water bottle?” she asked, pausing in the doorway. “It feels quite cold tonight.”

  “I’ll refill their hot-water bottle to keep them cosy,” Mum said, “but you’re right, it is chilly. I think I’ll put their box down by the radiator, for some extra warmth. It’s on a thermostat, so if the temperature drops too low, the radiator will come on and warm the room.”

  “OK,” Lily said sleepily. She really was feeling very tired now. “Goodnight, Mum.”

  “Night, love,” Mum said. “Sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Goodnight, kitties,” Lily added, coming back to peep into the box one last time. “Be good and drink lots of milk for Mum.”