12th Jan
I happen to love cats, always have. Trouble is, in my adult life I developed an allergy to them and being in a house where cats live for more than half an hour will bring on an asthma attack, which is a pity as a lot of my friends have cats.
We had a very intelligent cat called Tiggy when I was a child and how we came by him is a bit like the story below.
Tiggy
"Don't ask again. I've said no and that's that."
Well, the three sister's didn't want it to be no and even though dad had been so adamant, they found themselves in the pet shop staring at the little kittens as they did every afternoon on the way home from school.
Soon they would be ready to leave the pet shop and all but one had a new home to go to . The girl's spent a long time watching them feeding and playing with their mum, all the time getting to know their different characters and falling in love with the each one, but especially the sweet little tabby who was still waiting for someone to come and claim him. In a few days he and the others would be eight weeks old and he'd be left behind when his brothers and sisters went to their new families.
"I've got enough money, shall we just buy him," Susan, eleven and the eldest, picked little kitty up in her arms, held him to her breast and stroked him lovingly.
"We can't ...no...dad'll kill us," Barbara, nine, spoke in a higher pitch then normal, while Lucy, eight nodded her head in excitement while jumping from one foot to the other.
"But he won't find out," replied Susan, "I've got a plan." She bent, kissed the kitten on his nose and like talking to a baby she said, "I've got a little plan haven't I?"
"What is it, tell us?" Barbara was all ears. Maybe there was a chance, she thought, maybe they could keep him.
"Well, you know dad's garage is full of stuff and he hardly ever goes in it?"
"Yeh, so?"
"He could live in there. We could go feed him everyday, make a little home for him, you know, with blankets and things." She'd been trying to think of a way and she was pretty sure that this scheme would work , but Barbara was still unsure.
"What if dad finds him?" Out of the three sisters she was the most fearful of her father.
"He won't. We'll have to be extra careful though. Like, we'll have to sneak out when they are busy or wait till Dad goes to collect Mum from work. We can do it." She put the kitten back and looked pleadingly at her sisters. For although she'd made her mind up to get him , she needed them on her side if the plan was going to work.
"Yes, yes... let's... go on ..." Lucy couldn't stop herself from bouncing up and down.
They had to run home, which wasn't easy with the carrier with the kitten inside. Susan hadn't bargained on all the questions she would be asked about their ability to care for him.
By the time they'd finished making Tiggy, for that was the name they gave him, comfortable in a dark corner of the garage behind some boxes of old books and some electrical equipment, there was only a few minutes to spare before their father walked in. Susan got him his cup of tea as usual and he suspected nothing. When he went out to pick up their mother, they scoured the fridge for suitable tidbits for their new guest.
But, of course this situation couldn't last forever and one evening about two months later, after Susan had fed and watered Tiggy her mum went into the garden with rubbish for the bins. It was Lucy's job, but she was feeling unwell that day.
"Where is that meowing coming from?" She walked towards the garage. The sister's heard her and readied themselves for the outburst.
"And what have we here? " She held Tiggy awkwardly by the scruff of his neck, like he was vermin.
"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded, holding the poor kitten, squealing and kicking, at arms length.
"Mum, we've been looking after him. We got him from the pet shop, he's.."
"I don't care! He's got to go back . He's not staying here!"
Just then dad walked in.
" Mags, what's all the fuss? What..." he spotted the kitten in mum's hand. "Where did that come from?"
"You may well ask," mum nodded towards the guilty parties, "found him in the garage . The girls had him hidden behind your old books. Don't know what they were thinking," then stepping closer to them and shouting, "what were you thinking??"
"Dad, we can look after him, please, please... can we keep him... please??" Susan put her hands together like in prayer. The others kept quiet.
"No!. Now we said no. You disregarded your mother and I and went behind our backs. I'm not happy with you. Go to your rooms." He took Tiggy from mum and sat on the sofa stroking him. "Tomorrow he goes back.
"But dad, please..." Susan used her most pleading voice.
"Bed!"
They all marched upstairs. They all cried for a lot of the night. Susan slept in her sisters room squeezed in beside Lucy.
In the morning they woke early . They hadn't slept much and their eyes were red and sore.
Between them they wrote a letter to their dad, with the hope that this might change his mind. It was their last hope.
When they heard him in the kitchen they crept downstairs to give him the letter.
"Ahh girls. Right, sit yourself down there."
"Dad, we.." Susan handed him the letter but he just put in on the table.
"Be quiet now and let me speak." He sat across from them and folded his arms in his serious pose. They knew that he meant business.
"Your mother and I talked a lot last night about what you'd done.."
"Dad..."
"Stop interrupting me. We are not happy that you were deceitful, but you have shown love for the little kitten and you've looked after him well , we can see that. So, as long as you take full responsibility for him, he can stay."
There was lots of hugs and thank yous as three little girls jumped all over their dad and promised that he wouldn't be sorry.
"If he interferes with me at all, he'll have to go," mum's voice was soft . "He can have a place in the corner of the kitchen. How long did you think you'd be able to keep him locked up in the garage, for goodness sake?"
Tiggy became a part of the family after that and when the girls grew up and left home, he was still there to keep mum and dad company and although mum wouldn't admit it, she was his favourite person, the one who's lap he would sit on and purr contentedly.
