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- Herausgeber: Little Tiger Press
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Serie: Holly Webb Animal Stories
- Sprache: Englisch
Rosie is really worried when she and her dad discover a box of abandoned kittens in the park. They take the litter to a cat fosterer named Sam, who promises to help find them new homes – and Rosie can visit as much as she likes! When Rosie notices that the youngest kitten, Bill, has trouble with his walking, Sam confirms that he has something called wobbly kitten syndrome, which makes families reluctant to take him in. Rosie knows this isn't fair – Bill is just as cute as his brothers and sisters! Can she and Sam find anyone to adopt him? A new story from best-selling author Holly Webb, perfect for animal-loving children, and fans of ZOE'S RESCUE ZOO and MAGIC ANIMAL FRIENDS.
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Seitenzahl: 66
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
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Contents
Chapter One
Rosie raced across the park with Sandy galloping in front of her. They were going so fast that she couldn’t stop laughing. It was a sunny evening and the grass had just been cut and everything smelled clean and fresh. Dad was laughing too as he watched them dash back to him. Sandy was so speedy that Rosie had to grab on to 6Dad to make sure she didn’t fall over, and he gave her a big hug.
Sandy leaned against Dad’s legs and panted with her pink tongue hanging out. She was still very fit but she was ten years old – a year older than Rosie and a good age for a golden retriever. She was slowing down now, just a little bit. Except when there was a big, empty park, perfect for a sprint!
Standing there, with Dad hugging her and her ribs aching from laughing so much, Rosie suddenly felt brave. She sucked in a deep breath. “Dad…”
“Mmmm?”
But then Sandy jumped up, pulling hard on her lead – so hard that Rosie nearly let go of her and Dad had to grab the lead quickly too. 7
“What are you doing, silly old dog?” Dad said, laughing as he tried to tug Sandy gently back. “What’s got you all excited?”
Rosie sighed quietly. She’d missed her chance. Though secretly she was relieved. She’d been trying to be brave enough to explain what was going on at school to Dad or Mum for ages, but she just couldn’t do it. Instead, 8she’d ended up putting school in a box inside her head and when she was at home she kept the box sealed up tight. So school didn’t spoil everything else.
“She’s sniffed something,” Rosie told Dad. “Look at her nose, it’s all twitchy.”
“Yes, you’re right. Hey, gently, Sandy. What is it? If it’s chips, you’re not having them. Come on, come away.”
Sandy was a sneaky scavenger. She could find food anywhere. Dad didn’t let her off the lead very often, not since she’d stolen quite a lot of somebody else’s picnic in this same park. It had been very embarrassing.
But even though Dad was pulling her, Sandy wouldn’t give up. She started to whine too, and when she looked back up 9at Rosie and Dad she seemed desperate. As though whatever she was trying to find was important. As though it wasn’t just about gobbling down someone’s leftover sandwich.
“Dad…” Rosie said, starting to feel worried.
“Yeah, I know. Something’s wrong.” Dad had stopped trying to tug Sandy back, but he was slowing her down.
“What do you think she can smell?” Rosie asked, trying to peer into the line of trees and bushes around the edge of the park – it looked like that was where Sandy was leading them.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t want her just to race off towards it. If it’s an injured fox, or something like that, it might hurt her.” 10
Rosie nodded anxiously. What would they do if there was an injured fox? Could they call a vet maybe? Then her eyes adjusted to the shadowy light among the trees and she spotted a cardboard box, halfway under a bush.
“Dad, look! There!” She pointed and Sandy barked urgently.
“Oh no…” Dad muttered and all three of them hurried towards the box. Rosie wasn’t sure what Dad was expecting but his face was grim.
“Maybe it’s just some rubbish,” Rosie said uncertainly. She wasn’t sure why Dad looked upset. It was only a box, wasn’t it? Maybe there was food in it and that’s why Sandy was so excited.
The box squeaked. 11
Sandy barked again, her tail wagging wildly, and Rosie let out a gasp. “Did you hear that, Dad? There’s something alive in there!”
“Yup. I did wonder when I saw the box. Hang on, Sandy, it’s OK.” Dad crouched down by the bush with one arm around Sandy’s chest, trying to hold her back. The big golden retriever was desperate to get inside the box. 12
Dad carefully opened one of the top flaps and Rosie leaned over to see, holding her breath. That little squeak had been so tiny and feeble. It had pulled at something inside her.
“Oh…” she whispered as they peered inside the box, and Sandy made a surprised little “wuff!”.
The box was full of kittens. A soft pile of ginger and tabby-and-white fur, wriggling and squeaking as light poured in from the open flaps.
“I wonder how long they’ve been here,” Dad said worriedly. “Oh, Sandy, no!”
Sandy had reached inside and picked up one of the kittens in her mouth – a little tabby-and-white ball that squirmed in her jaws.
“Drop it!” Dad was trying to get Sandy to let go, but she wouldn’t. She was holding the kitten very carefully, Rosie realized. 13She wasn’t biting, the kitten was just cradled in her mouth.
“She’s not hurting it, Dad.” Rosie kneeled down on the grass beside the big dog. “Sandy, what is it? What’s the matter? Is there something wrong with the kitten?” She held her hands out and Sandy leaned over a little, dropping the kitten into Rosie’s cupped fingers.
14It was so small, it fitted perfectly. It lay there, very still, and Rosie cuddled it against her T-shirt. She didn’t know why, it just seemed the right thing to do, to keep the tiny creature safe and warm.
“I wonder why she picked out that one,” Dad muttered. “And what are we going to do with them all?”
Rosie looked up at him hopefully. “Take them home?”
The kitten let out a dismal, squeaky mew. He wanted his mother to come and find him – to find all of them. He wanted her to curl up around them and purr till he fell asleep in her warm fur. He wanted her to feed him too, he was so hungry. It had been ages since they’d been pulled away from her and dumped in this box. Where was she? He squeaked again, calling as loudly as he could.
It wasn’t very loud. But something had heard him, the kitten could tell. There was snuffling, and voices. The other kittens were shifting anxiously around in the box now. Then light 16poured in as the flaps were pulled open. The change from dark to bright was so sudden that the kittens shrank back, pressing themselves against the sides of the box.
Then something leaned over them, blocking out the light again, and the tabby-and-white kitten mewed worriedly as a huge snout came sniffing around in the box. The creature smelled strange and new, not like his mother at all. But perhaps it was friendly? It didn’t seem fierce. Then he wriggled and mewed in shock as the strange creature picked him up, seizing him in that great mouth. His mother had picked him up by the scruff of his neck when she wanted to move her kittens around, 17but this creature was so much bigger than a mother cat. The kitten was held snugly inside its jaws and lifted right out of the dark box.
The creature swung round and the kitten yipped faintly. Then the creature dropped him gently into a human’s hands. The kitten froze for a moment. The last time a human had picked him up he’d been shoved into the box, just dropped in there on top of the other kittens. But this time the hands cuddled him against soft fabric and one finger slowly stroked his fur. The kitten relaxed, just a little, pressed against this warm person.
Maybe his mother was coming now? Maybe soon there would be food?
