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Chris looked pleased.“Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.”

Maria nodded.“OK, if you go along to that room at the end there, I’ll bring her through.”

“Has she got a name?” Abi asked suddenly, looking back from the door of the cat meeting room.

Maria shook her head.“Not yet. They’ve only just come in and we haven’t decided on anything yet.” She smiled. “So if you adopt her, maybe you could name her.”

What would be a good name for a white cat? Abi wondered as she waited, perched excitedly on the edge of a chair. Snowball and Snowdrop were really cute but it would be nice to have something a bit different. Lots of white cats were called Snowball. She looked round hopefully as the door swung open and Maria came in with the white kitten cuddled in her arms.

“Here we are. Now, like I said, she’s very friendly but she’s still quite little, so be gentle.” Maria sat down on the floor with the white kitten standing on her lap. “There you go, little one,” she murmured. “You go and have a look around.” Then she smiled at Abi and her family. “I know she can’t hear me, but I keep forgetting and I talk to her anyway!”

The white kitten stood there, looking around curiously. She’s so pretty, Abi thought. Even prettier close up, when you could see how blue her eyes were and the shell-pink of her nose and ears. Even her tiny paws were pinkish.

“So does being deaf make a big difference to how we look after her?” Chris asked.

“Well, you won’t be able to call her and she won’t hear food going into her bowl or anything like that. But she can definitely pick up vibrations.” Maria slapped her hand on the floor and the kitten looked round curiously. “You see? It’s not the noise she’s responding to, it’s the feel – the vibrations in the air. You can teach her to use hand signals too, like beckoning her to come to you, or maybe touching your mouth to say it’s food time. I’ve got a handout to give you with some ideas.”

“You mean, we can train her?” Abi asked. “Like a dog?” She slipped down off her chair to sit on the floor with Maria, and the white kitten watched her.

“Sure. Cats are really clever. And most cats will do anything for food. If she comes when you beckon and you give her a nice treat, she’s going to learn it’s a good thing to do.”

“Oh, sheis coming to me,” Abi whispered as the white kitten padded across the floor. “Hello, kitten.” Then she looked up at Maria. “It seems weird not to talk to her.”

[Êàðòèíêà: img_16]

“I know what you mean. And of course you still can – just as long as you don’t get cross when she doesn’t notice. Actually, if you talk, she might understand your body language. Go big on the facial expressions,” Maria suggested. “Big smiles if you’re pleased with her and frown if she’s jumped up somewhere she shouldn’t.”

“Is it OK for Abi to stroke her?” Mum asked, and Ruby reached towards the kitten. “Me too!”

“Your turn in a minute, Ruby,” Chris said.

“It’s fine to stroke her – but just tap your fingers on the floor in front of her first, Abi, so you don’t give her a shock. She’s looking at you right now anyway but it’s a good idea to get into the habit of showing her you’re there.”

Abi tapped her nails on the floor and the kitten put her head to one side, obviously intrigued. She sniffed Abi’s fingers, and stood still while Abi gently stroked her little pink ears. Then she began to purr, a huge clickety purr that made Abi laugh.

“She’s so noisy!”

“Yes, that’s another thing about deaf cats – she can’t hear how loud she’s being. And it might be that she enjoys the feel of making a noise. She’s got a really loud meow as well.”

“Ruby, do you want to stroke her?” Abi suggested. “She’s so soft.”

Ruby nodded eagerly and scrambled down from Mum’s knee. “Shall I tap?” she asked Maria seriously, and Maria smiled at her. “Yes, that would be great. Well done.”

The white kitten looked round as Ruby banged the floor and Ruby gazed silently back at her. Abi couldn’t believe how good her little sister was being – it was almost as if the kitten had made her shy. Ruby reached out her hand slowly and the kitten padded forward and licked her fingers.

“Her tongue’s all rough!” Ruby whispered. Then she looked round at Mum and Chris. “When are we taking her home?”

[Êàðòèíêà: img_17]

Abi had hoped they might be able to take the white kitten home straight away, once Mum and Chris had signed all the paperwork and paid her adoption fee. But they weren’t going to be allowed to have her until the weekend. There was a lot to do first, Chris pointed out as they were driving home. “We need to get her a basket – maybe one of those igloo ones. Litter trays, food bowls, toys. A scratching post.”

“Yes, and we need to walk round the house and think about what we need to do. Maria’s going to come back for a visit in a day or two, to help us get ready for an indoor kitten,” Mum said, turning round to look at Ruby and Abi in the back of the car.

Abi sighed.“Does that mean we have to tidy up again?”