The Kidnapped Kitten

Holly Webb The Kidnapped Kitten

Dedication

For Lizzie

www.hollywebbanimalstories.com

Chapter One

“Laura! Laura!” Tia waved, as she rushed down their street on the way home from school.

Her neighbour stood up and waved back. Laura was planting something in her front garden and her beautiful cat, Charlie, was sitting next to her, staring suspiciously at the turned-over earth.

Tia ran up and leaned over the wall, and her little sister, Christy, followed, panting, “You went too fast for me!”

“Sorry,” said Tia, taking her sister’s hand. “Laura, guess what?”

Laura smiled. “What? Something good, it sounds like.”

Tia nodded. “The best. Mum and Dad say we can have a cat!”

Christy did a twirly dance. “A cat! A cat!” she sang.

“Oh, that’s so exciting.” Laura beamed at them. “You’ll be brilliant cat owners. You were great when you came with your mum to feed Charlie while I was away. He looked quite grumpy when I got back – I don’t think I was fussing over him as much as you two were.” She looked up in surprise as Charlie suddenly pounced on the pile of earth. “Oh, Charlie! Stop it! You don’t want it, you silly cat.”

“What is it?” Tia tried to see what Charlie was patting at with his paw.

“A worm. No, don’t eat it! Euurrgh!” Laura picked up Charlie and dusted the soil off his paws, and the worm made a quick getaway.

“He eats worms?” Christy peered over the wall at Charlie.

Laura grinned. “He eats everything. Especially things that wriggle. Bengals are a bit like that. Really nosy.”

“Charlie’s a special breed of cat then?” Tia asked thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen another cat that looks quite like him. He’s like a leopard.”

“Exactly.” Laura nodded and put Charlie on top of the wall so the girls could admire him. He sat down with his tail wrapped around his paws and his nose in the air, posing. “Bengals are bred from leopard cats – little wild cats that live in Asia. Leopard cats are spotty like big leopards. But you can get Bengals with swirly stripes as well.”

Tia reached out her hand to Charlie and made kissy noises at him.

Charlie gazed back at her. He had his eyes half-closed, which made him look very snooty, but Tia thought it was actually because he was a bit embarrassed about not being allowed to eat worms.

He eyed her thoughtfully for a few more seconds, then stood up and stepped delicately along the wall to allow her to stroke him.

“You’re the nicest cat ever,” Tia murmured. She glanced up at Laura. “You know, his fur’s almost sparkly when you look at him in the sunshine.”

“It’s called glitter.” Laura nodded. “Lots of Bengal cats have it.” She rubbed Charlie’s ears. “It’s actually because some of his fur is see-through, but it looks like he’s covered in gold dust. He’s a precious boy.”

“Hi, Laura! I hope the girls aren’t bothering you.” Tia and Christy’s mum hurried up.

“No, it’s fine. They were just telling me their exciting news.” Laura smiled. “If you get a cat, then they can both sit in our front windows and stare at each other!”

Tia giggled, imagining it. Laura’s house was just across the road from theirs, so the two cats really would be able to see each other. Charlie liked to sit on the windowsill and look out. Tia always waved at him on her way past.

Tia ran her hand down Charlie’s satiny back again. “Mum! Could we have a cat like Charlie?”

Her mum reached out to scratch Charlie under the chin. “I’m sorry, Tia, but I don’t think so. Charlie’s beautiful, but he’s a pedigree cat. He must have been really expensive.” She glanced at Laura, looking a bit embarrassed. “Sorry!”

Laura made a face. “No, don’t worry. He was expensive. But I’d wanted a Bengal cat for ages. I just loved the way they looked, and I’d read about what funny characters they are. So I saved up for him.”

“We’ll probably go to the Cats Protection League and see if they have any kittens available,” Tia’s mum explained to Laura. “Even though you are gorgeous, aren’t you?” She made coaxing noises at Charlie, and he did his superior face back again.

“Lucy got Mittens from the Cats Protection League. Lucy’s my best friend from school,” Tia put in. “She’s got a really cute black and white cat, with little white mittens on the fronts of her paws. It’s all right, Mittens isn’t as beautiful as you,” she added to Charlie, who was looking outraged. “Sometimes I think he understands everything we say,” she told Laura.

“That’s the thing with Bengals,” Laura said. “They’re very clever. Lots of them have tricks, like opening doors – Charlie can do that. But it means they can be quite difficult to look after. When they get bored, they can be naughty. I wouldn’t be able to have Charlie if I didn’t work at home. He’d be lonely if I was out all day.”

“Cats need company,” Tia’s mum agreed. “But I only work afternoons, so we should be all right.” Tia’s mum worked part-time in the office at Tia and Christy’s school. “Anyway, we should leave you in peace. Come on, girls.”