The Perfect Kitten

by Holly Webb

  For all the brave, loving people who adopt an

  animal that isn’t “perfect”

  www.hollywebbanimalstories.com

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Extract

  Collect them all

  Biography

  Copyright

  Abi stared at her mum and stepdad, her mouth hanging open. The cereal and milk slid off her spoon and Ruby giggled. “Look what you’re doing!” she said.

  “Do you really mean it?” Abi asked her mum. “You’re not joking?”

  Her mum and stepdad grinned at each other.

  “Of course we mean it,” Abi’s mum said. “We’re absolutely serious!”

  “Oooh, your milk’s going everywhere,” Ruby said, and Abi quickly put the spoon back in her bowl.

  “Didn’t you hear what Mum just said?” she asked her little sister, and when Ruby looked confused she told her, “We can get a cat!”

  “Today?” said Ruby hopefully. Ruby was only four and she didn’t like waiting for things to happen.

  Abi looked doubtfully at her mum and stepdad. She had a feeling that getting a cat would take a while, especially if they were going to an animal shelter to find one.

  “No, Ruby, not today,” Chris, Abi’s stepdad, said gently. “But we can have a look at photos of the cats we might get, on the computer. There’s an animal shelter not far from here, Linfield Cats and Dogs. They put photos of the animals that need homes on their website.”

  “I want a cat now.” Ruby sighed and her nose wrinkled the way it did when she was about to get upset.

  “If you finish up your breakfast, we could look at the pictures now,” Mum suggested, and Ruby nodded and started to eat her cereal very fast.

  Abi looked at her bowl – she’d almost finished anyway and she was too excited to eat any more. She’d been trying to persuade her mum and Chris that they should get a cat for ages. They’d always said Ruby was too little and she might chase a cat or try to push it around in her toy pushchair. Abi had tried telling them she’d watch Ruby like a hawk and make sure she didn’t do anything so silly, but they’d always said no – until today.

  “Are there lots of cats on the website?” she asked, and Chris nodded.

  “Yes! I had a quick look yesterday. There were loads.”

  “Oh wow…” Abi murmured, clenching her fingers into her palms. She wanted to bounce up from the table and look at the photos straight away. What sort of cats would there be? she wondered. And what cat would she like, if she had a choice?

  Black cats were beautiful and mysterious, and she loved it when they had little white paws. Or maybe they could get a tabby – all those gorgeous stripes. Then again, what about a tortoiseshell? Her friend Sky from school had a tortoiseshell called Wanda who was white with ginger and black splashes, and one ginger ear and one black ear. Even her whiskers were white on one side and black on the other. Wanda was the cutest cat Abi had ever seen.

  In the end, Abi decided she didn’t mind. A cat of their own would be wonderful whatever colour it was, as long as it was friendly and didn’t mind being stroked. Maybe it would even sleep on her bed, or take turns between her bed and Ruby’s.

  “Have you nearly finished?” she asked Ruby hopefully. She watched as her sister chased the last Rice Krispies round her bowl. As soon as she had finished, Abi jumped up eagerly.

  “Let’s all go and sit on the sofa,” Mum suggested. “Chris, if you bring your laptop over, we can look at the cats together.”

  Abi’s stepdad went to fetch the computer and they all snuggled up on the sofa. Ruby climbed on to Abi’s lap and Abi peered round her at the screen.

  “Are you all right like that?” Mum asked doubtfully, and Abi nodded. She was a bit squished, but she didn’t mind as Ruby was so cuddly. Soon it might be Ruby and a cat sitting on her!

  “Oh, look…” Abi whispered, and Ruby reached out to pat the screen. Staring out at them was a black cat with round green eyes, like marbles.

  “She’s called Meg,” Chris said. “What a beauty.”

  “I want that cat,” Ruby announced.

  “She’s lovely,” Mum agreed. “But don’t you think we should look at all the cats before we decide? And I’m afraid it says Meg needs a home without young children because she’s a bit nervous.”

  Abi sighed but she understood why they couldn’t adopt Meg. A nervous cat probably wasn’t going to enjoy being loved by Ruby. They needed a super friendly cat. “Let’s look at some more, Ruby. Oh wow, kittens!”

  “Kittens!” Ruby and Mum echoed together, and Chris laughed. “They’re very cute!”

  The black kittens were curled up together in a basket, staring up at the camera. They looked surprised, as if the flash had woken them up.

  “Aren’t they fluffy?” Abi said. She hadn’t even thought about getting a long-haired cat. This was so exciting! “I’m not sure how we’ll ever choose…” she said to Mum. “I want all of them.”

  “I know.” Her mum laughed. “Once we’ve registered with the shelter, they’ll come over for a home visit to check we’re suitable. Maybe they can suggest some cats that will be just right for us.” Then she shook her head. “I should have said that the other way round. Some cats that we’ll be just right for!”

  Abi nodded and smiled. It was the nicest thought. There was a gorgeous cat waiting for them at the shelter and they would be the perfect home for it.

  “Mum, do you think it’s OK for Ruby to be here?” Abi whispered, watching her little sister trailing a doll along the floor by her hair. The volunteer from the animal shelter was due to arrive any minute and Abi wanted everything to be just right. She had been worrying about the visit ever since Mum had registered with the shelter the previous weekend.

  “What do you mean?” Mum gave her a confused look.

  “Just … maybe Chris could take her to the park? Or the shops? What if the people from the shelter think she’s too little to have a cat?” Ruby had been so excited all week but there was a chance that she might come across as really silly…

  Mum smiled at her. “It’s OK, Abi. We said we’re interested in rehoming a cat that would be happy around a younger child, so we don’t need to pretend we don’t have Ruby. And we want to get a cat that will actually like living here. I think children aged nine and four should be fine for most cats.”

  “Yes … we tidied up though,” Abi pointed out. “To make us look like better cat owners. Isn’t that the same thing?”

  “No, it isn’t!” Mum looked around at the unusually tidy kitchen. “But I know what you mean. I don’t think cats care about mess. It’s the people from the shelter I was tidying up for.”

  “They’re here!” Abi jumped as the bell rang and Ruby rushed to answer it. Luckily Chris got there first, and then Ruby went suddenly shy as she saw a strange woman on the doorstep and hid behind his legs.

  “Hi! Come in – would you like some tea?” Mum asked.

  But the woman – the name badge on her fleece said Maria – didn’t come any further in, even though Chris was holding the door open for her. She was standing just inside the gate, watching the road and looking rather worried. Then she turned to them and smiled anxiously.

  “Look, I’m really sorry…” she started to say and then glanced down at her feet as though she didn’t know quite how to go on. “It’s our fault. I should have realized before I came out to see you… I didn’t check the address.”

  “What is it?” Chris asked, frowning. “Is there a problem?”<
br />
  Abi slipped her hand into Mum’s. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she could tell it wasn’t good.

  “It’s your road,” Maria explained. “It’s so busy, you see. There are a few main roads through town that are a problem and this is one of them. We rehomed a cat near here last year and she was hit by a car. After that we decided we wouldn’t let anyone along this road take one of our cats. It’s just too dangerous.”

  “I don’t think our road’s that busy,” Abi said stubbornly to Mum. Chris had taken Ruby out to buy some bread for lunch but it was mostly to give them something to do. Ruby didn’t understand why Maria hadn’t stayed to look around the house or why they weren’t getting a cat now, and she kept asking about it.

  “I suppose we’re used to the road.” Mum sighed. “I didn’t think it was busy either, until she said. But she’s right.”

  “Cats are clever though – I bet it would be OK. Couldn’t we just go to another shelter and see if the people there don’t mind about the road?”

  “We could… But remember what Maria said about it being really difficult for cats to judge how fast cars are going, especially in the evening when it’s getting dark. That’s when they’re most likely to get hurt.” Mum turned round and gave Abi a hug.

  “I know it doesn’t seem fair, I’m sad about it too. But what if we did get a cat and we all fell in love with her and then she was hurt? Wouldn’t that be worse than not having a cat at all?”

  “No,” Abi said crossly. She knew Mum was right, really – but it didn’t mean she had to like it.

  “When are you getting your cat?” Sky asked, grabbing at Abi’s hands. She had dashed over to Abi as soon as she saw her come into the playground, wanting to hear her cat news. Abi had told Sky they were having a visit from the shelter and she was almost as excited about Abi getting a cat as Abi was.

  Abi made a face. “We aren’t. The shelter said our road’s too busy – they can’t let us have one.”

  Sky stared at her. “No! I didn’t even know they could do that. What did your mum and Chris say?”

  “That the shelter is right.” Abi sighed. “And I know they are, really, but I was so happy, thinking we were going to have a cat at last. You’re so lucky to live on a quiet road.”

  “I’ve never even thought about it,” Sky said. “Wanda goes out all the time. But there are people on your road who have cats, aren’t there?”

  “Yeah. I suppose their cats are just really careful. And they haven’t come from shelters.” Abi slumped down on a bench. “I was so excited…”

  “It doesn’t seem fair.” Sky sat down and put her arm round Abi’s shoulders. “You’d be such a good cat owner, Wanda loves it when you come over.”

  “Mum suggested we get some fish.” Abi shook her head. “It just isn’t the same thing.”

  “You can’t stroke a fish,” Sky agreed. “What about a dog?”

  “Nope. Mum thinks we’re all too busy to manage the walks and everything. And I like dogs, but not the same way that I love cats.” She giggled. “Chris said maybe we should get a lizard and Ruby thought that was a great idea. I’ve never seen Mum look so worried.” Then her smile faded and she looked miserably at Sky. “I don’t see how we can ever get a cat, not unless we move house.”

  “Look at these – oh, little sweethearts!” Maria peered into the box. “They’re tiny. Maybe six weeks, do you think? They’re early, we haven’t hit kitten season yet!”

  The three kittens peered back up at her cautiously, eyes round and wary. There was nothing else in the box with them, not even an old towel, and they were huddled close together. Their mother was gone and they were cold and scared.

  “Where did they come from?” Lily asked, coming to look. “Wow, they are pretty. Gorgeous stripey tabbies – and we don’t often get a pure white kitten.”

  Maria picked up the white kitten gently. “She’s a girl. Isn’t she lovely? And what blue eyes! They were left behind the wheelie bins outside the supermarket. One of the workers from the warehouse brought them in. He said he wished he could keep them but he didn’t think they’d like his dog.”

  “At least they weren’t dumped until they started eating solid food,” Lily said. “Poor little loves – they look really lost.” Then she laughed as the white kitten let out a loud, squeaky mew. “Was that because I mentioned food? Are you hungry?” She tickled her under the chin and the white kitten gazed at her in surprise and then mewed again. “Let’s get you three into a pen and then we can try you on a little bit of wet food. They don’t look too skinny, do they? Someone must have been looking after their mum pretty well. I guess they just didn’t want the kittens.”

  The white kitten wriggled and squealed, struggling to get back to her brother and sister. She wanted her mother more, but the other kittens were the only thing that she knew in this strange place. They would have to do.

  “Yes, it’s OK, here you go.” Maria slipped her back into the box with the others. “We’ll put the box in the pen with them for the time being, shall we? It might help them feel safe.”

  The white kitten huddled gratefully with the others, letting them nuzzle her all over. Then the three kittens froze as the box was picked up again. They skidded a little on the cardboard, sinking in their tiny claws and mewing in panic. What was happening? Where were they going now?

  “Do you think they’re big enough to get out, or shall we tip the box on its side?” Maria asked.

  “Mmmm. Tip it over, I’d say. It will take them ages to climb out and they might not be able to get back in again. A box isn’t much comfort, but it’s all they’ve got at the minute.”

  Lily reached in and gathered up the kittens in a furry, squeaking mass until Maria had turned the box on to its side, so the kittens could easily step out into their pen. “There! Now you can have a little look around.”

  The two tabby kittens looked at the open side of the box, and then padded slowly towards it. They peered out and snuffled at the air, then they set off to explore the pen. The white kitten watched them but she took a while to follow. The box felt safe and she didn’t like the bright lights.

  But she didn’t like being left alone either, and at last she stepped out of the box and began to sniff her way around.

  She was in the back of the pen, padding her paws on the soft basket, when she smelled food. She hadn’t noticed the dish being put into the pen and she dashed over to join the other kittens. Her tabby sister was actually standing in the food bowl. The white kitten had to eat around her but she was so hungry that she didn’t care.

  “Did you see that?” Maria crouched down by the pen to watch the three kittens eating. “She took ages to notice the food. The other two heard me opening the door and they rushed straight up. The white one just kept looking at the basket.”

  “Maybe she wasn’t as hungry?” Lily suggested, but then she shook her head. “No, look at her now, she’s eating like she’s half-starved.”

  “Yeah…” Maria clicked her fingers and the two tabby kittens looked up at once, their ears twitching. It was obvious they’d heard her. When she didn’t do anything else, they went back to eating as fast as they could.

  The white kitten didn’t look up.

  “I suppose we should have guessed that she might be deaf,” Lily said, looking at the white kitten. “White cats quite often are, and I’ve heard that if they have blue eyes it’s even more likely. Poor little thing.”

  “It doesn’t seem to bother her though,” Maria pointed out. “She’s just as big as the other two, so it hasn’t stopped her feeding.”

  Lily nodded. “But it’s going to make it harder to find her a home.”

  The white kitten licked around her bit of the food dish, and then licked her tabby sister’s paws too. She sat down by the bowl and yawned, showing tiny needle-sharp teeth.

  Then she looked over at the cat bed and stood up slowly. Her stomach looked a lot rounder than it had ten minutes before and she rolled a little from side to
side as she stomped across the pen. The two tabby kittens gave the empty dish a last clean and then followed her, clambering into the squashy cat bed and slumping down together before falling asleep in seconds.

  “Maybe it won’t be so difficult to rehome her,” Maria said, smiling. “She’s so sweet – they all are – but the blue eyes make her a bit special. And it isn’t all that hard to have an indoor cat. We just need to find the right person.” Then she looked thoughtful. “Actually, I might have an idea…”

  “Hang on a minute, Abi, that’s my phone ringing.” Mum put down Abi’s homework book and ferreted under Ruby’s pile of drawings for her mobile.

  Abi went back to frowning at her literacy task and chewing her pencil, but after a moment or two she looked up and started to listen carefully to Mum’s end of the phone call.

  “Oh yes, we’d definitely be interested. Yes, I do see that it’s harder if she can’t go out and I’ll have to talk it over with my husband, but we’d love to have a look.”

  “I drew a cat!” Ruby announced, holding up her picture to show Abi.

  “Nice! Shh a minute, Ruby, I want to hear what Mum’s saying.”

  “Yes, I think we could come tomorrow. Is about half past four OK? I’m a teacher, you see. I can’t usually get back from school before then.”

  Chris wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge to get the ingredients for dinner. “Who’s your mum talking to?” he whispered to Abi as he pulled out a bag of vegetables.

  “I don’t know! But we’re going somewhere. And … and it sounds like it might be about a cat…” Abi grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight, staring at Mum hopefully as she ended the call.

  “You guessed who that was then,” she said, looking happily at Abi. “I can tell from your face!”