Шейла Нортон - Charlie The Kitten Who Saved A Life

‘Hmm. Sounds like it’s further out of town. Well, we’ve covered quite a lot of ground already tonight. I suggest we call off the search for now and get something to eat. Don’t worry, young Charlie.’ He was sounding quite affectionate towards me now. ‘We’ll search the streets every day. We’ll get there in the end.’

I hoped he was right. But I was beginning to feel like it might be an impossible mission.

Yes, my friends, you’re right in thinking I was becoming used to the feral cats by now. After living with them like that, I can tell you I actually have a lot of sympathy for them. They’ve got a terrible reputation, and it’s true they can be very aggressive. I’ve got the scars to prove it! But it’s understandable. They’ve got tough lives, and after all, they didn’t choose to be born into those circumstances. I understand now why they hang around in gangs, too. On their own, they’d be prey to all sorts of dangers. They need each other for protection. It’s all very well for domestic cats like us to say we enjoy our own company. We can pick and choose which cats we want to spend time with, and who’s allowed into our territory, or we can be completely solitary if we want to. We’ve got humans to protect us and we can choose to stay inside our nice warm homes whenever we like. I found myself wishing I could do more to help those cats, but to be honest, I don’t think they’d have been able to adapt to a life like ours.

For one thing, none of them had ever heard about going to the vet for that operation . They looked absolutely horrified when I told them I’d had it.

‘I thought you said your humans were kind!’ Black said.

‘They are. I know it seems like a cruel thing to do, but honestly, it’s just like my friend Oliver explained to me when I was a little kitten: what you’ve never had, you never miss.’

‘Well, I’m as sure as a dog’s backside that I’d miss it,’ Big said. ‘We all would! Apart from the fresh fish, it’s the only thing that makes our lives worth living.’

I thought about this for a while. There were so many things that made my life worth living when I was at home in Little Broomford, I felt almost guilty about it, not to say even more homesick.

‘We have humans to love us,’ I tried to explain. ‘We sit on their laps and get stroked and cuddled. It makes up for not mating.’

‘You must be joking,’ Stinky said. ‘That sounds awful. I’m surprised you put up with it.’

‘And it can’t possibly compare with a quick session with Blotchy Face when she’s on heat,’ Black put in.

‘Yeah, she’d soon make you forget about your humans, Charlie!’ said Tail-less.

I felt sorry for Blotchy Face, whoever she was. She must have spent her whole life being pregnant and having loads of kittens.

As the boys continued to discuss their mating rituals, I distanced myself from the conversation. I couldn’t help thinking about my sisters back at home. I was glad to remember most of you females have been spayed.

‘I was neutered before I was old enough to want to mate with anyone,’ I tried to explain to the boys when their banter had finally died down. ‘Our humans get us done because they want to take care of us. They don’t want our females to have lots of kittens who might not be looked after by anyone.’

‘Our females look after their own kittens,’ Black retorted. ‘Well, for a few weeks, anyway, till they can fend for themselves.’

And then they just end up living rough, like you , I wanted to say. But I knew it was no use. They’d never understand. The gulf between our lifestyles was too vast.

But the one thing they envied, once they were actually convinced I wasn’t faking, was my ability to understand Human. That same day, I proved my worth to them by translating a very interesting conversation that was going on outside the little café near our yard. Two females were sitting together at a table with cups in their paws, talking earnestly about seagulls.

‘Damn things are a real nuisance,’ one of them said, pointing out a couple of gulls circling above. ‘Ever since a few people were attacked, it’s been putting off holidaymakers from coming here.’

‘I know. Business is going down the pan for the beach cafés and kiosks. Nobody wants to risk eating in the open air.’

I remembered how we were told the same thing by the Annie female who owned our holiday cottage. And because I still felt cross about Caroline having her finger bitten, I listened closely to the women now.

‘It’s the fault of people who leave their food rubbish lying around,’ the first one said. ‘I’m glad the council’s putting up new notices, warning people about dropping litter and threatening them with fines. It’s about time they clamped down on it.’

‘Yes, and on the people who feed the gulls, too! Some holidaymakers think they’re being kind, until they get swooped on and pecked. The gulls should be left to feed themselves with their natural food.’

‘There are signs up now about that too,’ said the other woman. ‘ Please Do Not Feed the Gulls. They are Becoming a Nuisance. I just hope it works, otherwise Mudditon is never going to recover from this year’s slump in bookings.’ She paused, and I suddenly realised she was looking straight at me. I’d been so interested in what they were saying, I’d poked my head a little way out of the hiding place behind the fence where I’d been resting with the gang. ‘Look at that little cat watching us,’ she said, nudging her companion. ‘Haven’t seen him around here before.’

‘No. I suppose he’s one of the ferals, but he doesn’t seem as nervous as most of them, does he, Jean? Hello, puss!’

I shrank back behind the fence. Big was growling at me.

‘Stay out of sight, Charlie, for catnip’s sake! I keep telling you – you might like humans, but they don’t like us!’

‘Sorry. I’m trying to listen to what they’re saying. It’s interesting. I’ll tell you in a minute.’

‘Well, I know some people think they’re a nuisance,’ the first woman went on, ‘but the feral cats do have their uses.’

‘Do they? I can’t think what, although I do feel sorry for them.’

‘Well, there was a bit in the local paper this week about how they prowl around at night, foraging for food in the streets and around the bins. They’re actually keeping down the amount of food waste, Shirley. I’d sooner the wild cats ate the leftovers people throw away, than the seagulls, and hopefully in the end they’ll give up, if there isn’t enough food lying around for them, and they’ll go back to eating their natural diet.’

‘Yes, that’s true, I suppose. And of course, the cats keep down the numbers of rats and mice, too. It’s a shame they can’t catch the odd seagull! Or at least chase them away. Then we’d really have cause to be grateful to them.’

‘Yes, and perhaps the council would stop threatening to exterminate the poor things. They should realise they’re actually performing a public service!’

Their conversation turned to something less interesting then, so I turned back to the other cats and related what I’d overheard.

‘She actually said we perform a public service?’ Black meowed in surprise.

‘I thought all the humans hated us,’ said Tail-less.

‘Well, it seems like some of them, at least, realise that you’re helping to keep the seagulls away by getting to the food waste before they do,’ I said. ‘Of course, if you could catch seagulls, or chase them off, you’d make yourselves really popular, but that’s not going to happen, is it.’