Холли Вебб - The Brave Kitten

“Has anyone phoned the surgery about the cat?” Helena asked her cousin hopefully. “Is he OK?”

“He’s eating a bit better, but no, still no sign of an owner.” There was a little silence, and then Lucy added, “I told Molly I’d take him home with me in a couple of days. Then I can try and find a home for him when he’s better. I haven’t broken it to Mum and Dad yet, though.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant!” Helena squealed, so loudly that her mum nearly dropped a pan of pasta. Lucy lived with her mum and dad, and her younger twin sisters, and their house wasn’t far from Helena’s. She’d still be able to see the cat all the time. She could go and visit him lots.

“I wasn’t sure the staff at the shelter would have time to look after him properly. He needs a lot of TLC, poor thing.”

“Definitely,” Helena agreed. “Can I pop into the surgery with Gran after my dance lesson tomorrow? It’ll be just as you’re tidying everything up to go home. You know how much Gran loves cats. I told her about him.”

Lucy giggled. “I’m just surprised she hasn’t been round already. See you tomorrow then!”

“Here he is – he’s a bit quiet still.” Helena pointed out the caramel-coloured cat, huddled in the back of the cage and staring out at Helena’s gran rather grumpily. But he shuffled towards the front of the cage when he saw Helena, and she giggled. “That’s right. You ought to be nice – I’ve brought you a present, look.” She pulled a packet of cat treats out of her pocket and ripped the foil. “Tuna flavour! Mmmm… I think they smell awful, but the websites I looked at said most cats love the fishy ones.”

“Beautiful colours in his fur…” Gran murmured. “So when are you taking him home, Lucy?”

“Tomorrow, I think.” Lucy crouched down to look at the cat with them. “He really needs to get out of that little cage and start exercising his leg a bit more now it’s beginning to heal. He’s going to live in the utility room.”

“What did your mum and dad say about it?” Helena asked.

Lucy made a face. “They weren’t that keen… But I explained about the shelter being so busy and I promised we weren’t keeping him for ever. Mum says I have to do all the washing, if there’s to be a cat living in front of her washing machine…”

“Are you finishing work now, Lucy?” Gran said, looking at her watch. “Do you want a lift home? I haven’t seen Emily and Bella for at least a week. We could pop in and say hello.”

Emily and Bella were Lucy’s little sisters, Helena’s cousins. They were only four. Helena loved going to see them – they were always so funny. Usually when she went round she got forced into having her hair redone in some mad style covered in feathers, or glitter.

But as she sat in the back of Gran’s car, she couldn’t help thinking about the cat – so quiet and sad. How was he going to get on with two crazy four-year-olds? Not to mention Lucy’s dog, Billy. He was about as silly as Emily and Bella, and he chased cats, too.

Helena had seen Lucy hanging on to the end of his lead for dear life when they were out for a walk and a cat strolled by.

Helena hugged Emily and Bella when they jumped on her in the hallway, and let them drag her upstairs and paint her nails bright blue (Mum would make her take it off again before school, but never mind). But she didn’t enjoy her visit to her cousins’ house as much as she usually did.

She just couldn’t imagine that frightened little cat living here, even for a short while. Billy was a lovely dog (Emily and Bella had painted his nails blue, too, and he’d let them) but Helena was sure that if he could smell a cat on the other side of the utility room door, he wouldn’t rest until he’d clawed that door to shreds. It wasn’t fair on Billy, either. And the caramel cat would be far too nervous to let Emily and Bella draw pictures all over his cast in sparkly pens.

It wasn’t going to work.

“What’s wrong, Helena?” Gran asked, as they got back into the car. “You’ve gone all quiet.”

“The cat…” Helena said worriedly. “I’m not sure he’ll be able to cope with Lucy’s house, Gran. I’m not being mean – it’s just he’s still so nervous, and there’s so much going on there. I think it’ll make him worse.”

Gran sighed. “I was wondering about that, too. But Lucy said he’ll be shut away in one room…”

“Yeah, but there’s no way Emily and Bella will leave him in there,” Helena pointed out. “They’ll be dressing him in their dolls’ clothes the minute Auntie Sam’s back is turned.”

“Mmmm.” Gran drove down the road, frowning to herself. “I wish I could take him…”

“Snow and Smudge wouldn’t like it, though, would they?” Helena sighed. “Everyone’s already got cats, or dogs, or twins.” She was silent for a minute, and then added, “Except us. Me and Mum. Mum’s always said no, because it wouldn’t be good for a cat to be left alone, but this cat needs to have some peace and quiet. Don’t you think so, Gran?”

“And I could always pop in and see him at lunch time. Make a little fuss over him.” Gran darted a hopeful glance at Helena. “You know, maybe we could persuade your mum together.”

“She already said he was gorgeous when Lucy showed her the photo on her phone.” Helena wound her hands together, over and over. She was suddenly so excited she couldn’t keep still.

If only they could convince her mum…

“But we can’t… We don’t have anywhere to keep him.”

“We do, Mum! In here – in the kitchen would be all right. He couldn’t jump on the counter. We could put a blanket in that space under the counter for him, with his food bowls and litter tray, and I promise I’d clean it out, always.”

“I can come and check on him, Clare, at lunch time,” Gran suggested.

Helena’s mum frowned, looking round at her little kitchen.

“He can’t go to Lucy’s house, Mum,” said Helena. “And he’ll be miserable at the shelter, I know he will. No one’s come to claim him, even though we put posters up all round where we found him, and in the vet’s window. He’s been in the local paper today, with a message saying to ring the surgery, but no one has yet. Maybe his owner will see the photo, but he was so thin, Lucy thinks that could mean he’s been a stray for a while. I want to be able to look after him. It feels like I have to, since I was the one who found him.”

Her mum was silent for a moment, then she turned round to look at her. “I suppose not. Oh, Helena. It’s going to be a lot of work, you know. But I am proud of you.”

“You mean … yes?” Helena asked, confused. She’d expected to have to beg for an awful lot longer than that. And even then, deep down, she’d been almost certain that her mum would never agree.