The Kidnapped Kitten by Holly Webb Page A

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.”
    “Bye, Charlie.” Tia gave him one last loving stroke. “See you tomorrow on the way to school!”
    “You don’t mind that we can’t havea cat like Charlie?” her mum asked, as she unlocked the front door.
    Tia turned round and hugged her.

    “No! I just want a cat of our own, that’s all. Maybe a black and white cat, like Lucy’s? Will we be able to choose between lots of cats?”
    “I’m not sure…” her mum said. “I’ll have to call the Cats Protection League. Lucy’s mum was telling me about Mittens, and I think she came from a lady who just had a few kittens living in her house. I don’t think the Cats Protection League has one big shelter.”
    “That’s probably nicer for the cats,” Tia pointed out, as she took off her shoes.
    “When’s our cat coming?” Christy asked. Christy was only four, and she didn’t really understand about the time things took.
    “In a little while, I promise,” Mum said, and Tia gave a little sigh of happiness. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to wait too long…

    “Tia! Tia!”
    They were on their way to school, and Tia had been daydreaming about what sort of cat they might get. She jumped when Laura shouted after her.
    Laura was at her front door, with Charlie weaving himself possessively around her ankles. “Oh, I’m glad I caught you! Is your mum around?”
    “She’s a bit further up the road, chasing after Christy,” Tia explained.
    “I don’t want to make you late for school, but I really wanted to let you know…”
    Tia stared at Laura, not really sure what she was talking about.
    “Sorry! I’ll start at the beginning. The lady who bred Charlie called me last night – I’d sent her a photo of him, and she was ringing to say thank you. And she mentioned she’s got a Bengal kitten for sale!”
    “But we can’t—” Tia started to say. Mum was right. They really couldn’t afford a pedigree cat.
    “Oh, I know, but that’s the thing. This kitten won’t be very expensive. She’s got a bent tail. She’s still gorgeous,but it’s what’s called a fault. It means she can’t be in a cat show, and no one would want her to have kittens, as they might have bent tails too. So I thought I’d tell you, just in case you want to go and see her. I expect lots of people will be keen to buy her – sometimes people wait ages for a Bengal kitten. I wrote it all down for you.” Laura darted back into the house and returned with a scrap of paper. “Here, give this to your mum. It’s the breeder’s phone number.”
    Tia looked down at the piece of paper.
Glimmershine Bengals
, it said,
Helen Mason
, and a phone number. But somehow, for Tia, the scribbly writing seemed to say,
Your very own kitten…

Chapter Two
    “Are we sure about getting a Bengal kitten?” Dad asked, looking at the Glimmershine website. Tia had found it for him on his phone, so he could read it while he