Sammy the Shy Kitten

Chapter Eight

Emma tucked the phone under her chin so she could talk to Auntie Grace and have both hands free for scrabbling after the ping-pong ball as Sammy sent it skittering around all over the floor.

“It really works,” she told her aunt, a little breathlessly. “We started on Sunday after I’d had time to read the book. All this week, we’ve only fed him with the bowl on me or Dad, so that he has to come to us to get his food. And he’s always hungry, so it works perfectly. The very first time we tried it, he let me stroke him and he even purred! I’m starting to think he actually does like me,” she added shyly.

“Of course he does. Oh, that’s wonderful, Emma! I felt awful when your mum said you might have to give him up.”

“Me, too. But I’m so hoping she’s going to let me keep him. She was laughing at him this morning, when he was playing with his feathery toy before school. He kept almost falling over backwards, he was trying so hard to catch it.” Emma threw the ping-pong ball again for Sammy. “We’re doing the next thing it says in the book now. He’s going to be allowed out in the kitchen all the time, not just for food time and playing. His bed and his litter tray are still in the crate, but we’ll leave it open so he can come and go when he wants to.”

“And then I suppose you’ll bring his bed out, and eventually get rid of the crate?”

“Exactly. I don’t know how long it’s going to take, though. The book says it depends on the kitten. Oh, Sammy!”

“What did he do?” Auntie Grace laughed at the other end of the line.

“He chased after the ball so fast he ran into the cupboard. He’s fine, he just looks a bit confused. One minute.” Emma laid the phone on the floor and wriggled closer to Sammy, murmuring comforting noises. She was sure that he looked embarrassed, if a kitten could. His ears had gone flat.

“It’s OK,” she whispered and without thinking about it, she scooped Sammy gently into her hands and snuggled him up against her cardigan. “Oh… I didn’t mean to…” It was the first time she’d ever picked him up. But Sammy hadn’t clawed her, or jumped away in fright. He was huddled against her, so tiny and fragile that she could feel his heart beating under her fingers. “You don’t mind?” she murmured. “Oh, Sammy, I do love you…”

“Hey…” Dad whispered from the doorway. “He looks happy!”

“Dad, can you pick up the phone?” Emma whispered. “I was talking to Auntie Grace. She must be wondering what happened to me. Can you tell her I’ll call her later?”

Dad chuckled. “Sure. I’ll tell her you’re occupied with some very important business.”

“Are you sure?” Emma looked worriedly at Keira. “I mean, I’d love it if you came over for lunch. But I know how you feel about cats.”

“Exactly,” Keira called back, as she hefted Jasmine’s saddle over to the tackroom. “And so does your mum. So if even silly Keira isn’t scared of playing with Sammy, he must be OK as a pet, mustn’t he? The two weeks are up, aren’t they? We need to show your mum how good Sammy is.”

“Two weeks yesterday. I haven’t wanted to ask Mum what’s happening.” Emma sighed. “And I never said you were silly,” she added quickly.

Keira grinned. “I know. But I am silly. I can’t even say what it is that makes me frightened of cats. They just make me so nervous.”

“I don’t want you to be miserable.” Emma frowned. “And…” She nibbled her bottom lip. “If you’re nervous it might make Sammy nervous, too,” she explained. “He was all right with Auntie Grace when she came over in the week. She was really good, she just sat on the floor completely still until he was brave enough to sniff at her. But she’s used to cats and she wasn’t scared.”

“I won’t be scared, either,” Keira said. “I promise. I said I’d try to think of something I could do to help, and this is it. I’ll be brave.” She smiled at Emma. “Honestly. I’ll be fine.”

“He’s in here, in the kitchen.” Emma looked back at Keira. She could see her mum hovering behind her friend, with an anxious expression on her face. Mum obviously wasn’t sure about this – neither was Emma, to be honest. But Keira seemed so certain. She’d explained to Emma’s mum in the car that she wanted to try and stop being scared of cats, and that she knew she’d be OK with Sammy because he was so little.

Emma opened the door slowly and peered round. “Oh, he’s asleep in his basket. Actually, that’s good. How about we sit on the floor for a bit? We can have a snack, and then when he wakes up we can let him come and see you.”

Keira nodded. She was quite pale, Emma thought. But she looked determined, too. “That’s a good idea.”

Emma took her hand, pulling her gently into the kitchen to sit down half under the table. That would give Sammy plenty of space to look at them properly before he got out of his basket. Keira even giggled when Emma’s mum handed them a plate of cheese cubes and apple to eat under there. “It’s like being really small and making tents under the table. Did you ever do that?” she whispered.

“Yes! Hey, I think he’s waking up.” Emma glanced at her. “Sure you’re all right?”

“Mm-hm.”

Emma could feel Keira tensing up beside her. Maybe it was a stupid idea, after all. But it was too late to do anything about it now.

Sammy stretched and yawned, and popped his head up out of his basket to see what was happening. He was hungry and he could smell something delicious. Not his normal food, but that only made it more exciting. He twitched his ears forward and gazed at Emma under the table. Emma and someone else. He flicked his tail from side to side worriedly. It wasn’t someone he knew, but she was sitting quite still. She had some of whatever it was that smelled so nice, he could see it in her hands. And she was holding it very close to the floor…

Sammy hopped out of his basket and set off across the floor, his whiskers trembling as he smelled the cheese. He nudged his head against Emma’s feet on the way, as if to say that she belonged to him. But he was still more interested in the cheese. He padded between Emma’s legs and the new girl’s, and sniffed hopefully at the girl’s fingers. She was holding that piece of cheese as if she didn’t really want it at all.

He froze for a second, ears flickering, expecting someone to shoo him away. But no one did. Swiftly, Sammy swooped the scrap out of her hand and gulped it down, savouring every crumb.

Then he licked Keira’s fingers, just to check he hadn’t missed any. He felt her laugh – her fingers shook – but there was no more cheese. He gave her one last lick, and turned to scramble up into Emma’s lap. He could still smell cheese, and he was sure that if Emma had any, she’d give it to him. He hauled himself up her leggings, breathing hard, and half fell into her lap. Then he sat there and gave a massive yawn, showing all his tiny sharp teeth and his raspberry-pink tongue.

“He’s gorgeous,” Keira whispered, sounding quite surprised.

“You didn’t mind when he licked you?” Emma asked. She couldn’t stop smiling – Sammy had perched himself on her lap like he belonged.

Keira wrinkled her nose. “Actually, I was really scared. But he’s so little – I just kept thinking I could run out if I couldn’t deal with it.”

“Oh, Keira,” Emma’s mum murmured. “Do you want to go into the other room?”

Keira shook her head. “No, I think it’s OK,” she said cautiously. “He’s really good.”

Emma’s mum nodded. “I suppose he is.” She smiled at Emma. “So, are you having lunch under the table, then?”

“I don’t think we’d actually get much of our lunch if we did that.” Slowly, carefully, Emma moved on to her knees, cuddling Sammy against her fleece top as she stood up and went to sit on one of the kitchen chairs. She was waiting for him to leap away, but Sammy only stretched his neck out so he could peer over the edge of the table at the plate of sandwiches that her mum was putting down.

Keira laughed. “He’s eyeing the food as though you never feed him, Emma.”

“He needn’t think he’s making a habit of sitting on your lap at mealtimes,” Mum said sternly. “Just this once.”

Emma stared at her delightedly. “You mean…”

Her mum nodded. “Yes – I was talking to your dad about it last night. Sammy’s so much happier now. Oh, Emma, watch out, he’s going for that ham sandwich!” She quickly pulled the plate back, and Sammy looked disappointed.

“I’ll get you a bit in a minute,” Emma whispered in his ear. “A whole sandwich, if you like!”

Sammy yawned again and purred a little and rubbed his face against her hand. Then he nuzzled at Emma’s top, and pawed his way gently over the zip, snuggling down inside.

Emma looked down lovingly at the little tabby kitten curled up inside her fleece. “Sammy, you’re staying!”