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Sammy sniffed hopefully at the bowl, and then started to lap hurriedly. The other two kittens appeared beside him, and his sister plunged her face into the bowl eagerly. She came up smeared in white milky stuff, dripping from her nose and her black whiskers.

The girl laughed, and all the kittens jumped, staring at her nervously.

“Sorry,” she whispered softly.

Sammy watched her for a moment, then decided that she didn’t mean any harm and went back to lapping. The food was so tasty, but it was making him sleepy, just like feeding from his mother did sometimes. He licked at the last smears at the bottom of the bowl, and then licked his whiskers and yawned.

His brother and sister began to pad back towards their mother, to sleep curled up next to her, but the nest in the straw was a long way away. Sammy yawned again and eyed the girl. She was warm, too– he knew it from the times she’d stroked him. He walked towards her, wobbling a bit, and tried to climb up her leg.

Emma looked at him, smiling in delighted surprise. Then she gently scooped a hand underneath his bottom and lifted him up on to her lap. Sammy flopped down, full and sleepy, and began a tiny purr.

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“Oh, Emma,” Mum whispered from the doorway. “Is that Sammy? You said it was the tabby one you really liked.”

“Yes,” Emma breathed. “He fell asleep on me. And he was purring, Mum.”

“He is gorgeous,” Mum said, smiling. “What does Tiggy think about him sleeping on you?”

Emma giggled.“She’s asleep, too. I think she’s grateful! She must be worn out looking after them all. I need to ask Liz if she’s got something we can put across the doorway of the stall, a plank of wood maybe. So that Tiggy can get out, but the kittens won’t. Otherwise they’ll be wandering all over the place soon. We might never find them!” She sighed. “I suppose we have to go, don’t we?”

“We can hang on for a little bit. I don’t want to make you move him. Why don’t I go and ask Liz about finding something for the door?”

Emma nodded. Then, as her mum was turning to leave, she suddenly whispered,“Mum!”

“What is it? Is he waking up after all?”

“No, it’s just … do you think we could adopt him? You said we had to see about having one of Tiggy’s kittens – in case they were too wild.”

Her mum looked down at Sammy, stretched out blissfully on Emma’s knee. “He doesn’t look very wild, does he?”

Emma shook her head, beaming.

Mum smiled at her.“All right then, we can adopt him. I’ll tell Liz now.”

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Keira stood by the door of the stall, looking cautiously round it at Tiggy and the dancing kittens. Emma had managed to persuade her to come and see them at last. They were playing with a toy that Emma had bought– a bundle of feathers on the end of a long wire that she could flick and wave about. The kittens loved it. They stalked it, pounced on it, bounced around it, and all the while Tiggy sat watching them proudly. Every so often she couldn’t resist and put out a paw to dab at the feathers, too.

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“They’re so funny,” Keira whispered to Emma. “I wish…”

“You could have a go,” Emma suggested, holding out the toy.

Keira shook her head.“No,” she said quickly. “It’s OK.”

Emma wanted to persuade her, but she had a feeling it would only make Keira feel worse.“I want to wear Sammy out a bit, before Dad comes and we put him in the carrying box,” she explained. Dad was bringing the box when he came to pick Emma up from her lesson, any time now.

“Do you think Sammy won’t like it?” Keira asked.

“I don’t know.” Emma sighed. “It feels mean taking him away from Tiggy and the other kittens, but he’s about nine weeks old. Lots of kittens go to new homes then, even though it’s a bit young. From the websites Dad and I looked at it sounded like it’d be best to rehome Sammy as soon as possible. Otherwise he’ll do whatever his mum does. Tiggy still doesn’t really like being touched, and she’d never let me pick her up. I don’t want Sammy to learn to be scared of people from her.”

“What’s going to happen to the other kittens?” Keira asked.

“Liz thinks she’s found a lady who wants them,” Emma said happily. “She’s had cats before and she’s going to take them both together. Later this week, I think.” She glanced anxiously at Tiggy, who was still watching her kittens closely. “Poor Tiggy, she’ll really miss them. But itis the best thing for the kittens, I’m sure it is.”

“Oh! Your dad’s here,” Keira said, turning to look out of the barn door.

Emma let out an excited gasp.“Oh, wow…” she murmured. “I’m actually getting to take you home, Sammy!”

She had brought along a packet of cat treats, so they could tempt Sammy into the crate. The kittens were eating dry food like Tiggy now, although theirs was made for kittens. The cat treats were a special extra. Emma took the carrier from her dad and opened the wire door. Then she scattered a few treats inside. Tiggy and all the kittens edged closer– they knew what that rustling noise meant.

“They’re all coming,” Emma said worriedly to Dad.