What I would like to change.

by Josephine

Once long ago, I was a very happy kitty, There was just me and my Mummy, Queenie and we did everything together. When my brothers and sisters went to new homes, I stayed with Mummy as I was her favourite. Although I was too old to drink her milk any more, she still washed my ears and we would curl up to sleep together.

Mummy made friends with another cat who had a kitten named Ginger. He was about my age and he was my constant playmate, though I didn 't like his Mummy much as she would hiss and scratch and it didn t worry me when she vanished one day, I was left with Ginger and my Mummy and when the lady who had been feeding us, who s name was Rose, said all three of us could come and live with her, I thought I would live happily ever after like a kitty in a fairy tale.

Then things started to go wrong. First Ginger and I were put in a box together without Mummy and taken to a nasty place, which smelled of disinfectant which I learned was the Vets, where they stuck a needle into me and made me go to sleep. When I woke up, I was alone, some of my fur was missing and my side hurt and had funny things stuck in it ,that I was told were stitches, which I tried hard to pull out, though I didn t succeed.

Then a lady came and put me back in the box, where I found Ginger. I thought he would comfort me as after all, boys are supposed to be brave, but he just cowered in the corner and even when the lady took us back to Rose's he didn t want to come out. I jumped straight up on the window sill to show them, that I wasn t scared easily. After all we cats are related to lions, the brave King of the Jungle !

I never really liked Ginger after that, as he d shown himself to be such a scaredy cat. I also noticed that Mummy was getting fat and couldn't play with me any more. When I asked why she told me she was having some more kittens. I was horrified for wasn't I her kitten ? What did she want more for ?

Then one day she disappeared .I was lonely and scared as I d never been without her before but Rose made lots of fuss of me and told me she would come back one day and sure enough she did though she didn't stay very long. She didn't say much about the kittens except that they were going to new homes soon. I was glad as I hated them for taking my Mummy away from me.

But one day a ginger kitten appeared on my doorstep and told me he was looking for his Mummy. I chased him away and told him she didn't live here, but he stayed watching the house.

Then Rose did something dreadful, she called him inside, saying that he needed his Mummy !

What about me? I needed my Mummy not him, he'd had for the last three months and I'd hardly seen her .I hissed and spat and tried to bite him, but Rose was angry and shut me in another room whenever I tried to chase the intruder away. When I was allowed back, there he was, with Mummy, drinking her milk and letting her wash his ears and when Mummy did have time for me, he would jump on Rose s lap, my lap ! I saw her cuddle him and tell him he was her sweet baby, I thought I was her sweet baby, so I decided I'd show her by refusing to sit on her lap if she had such poor taste to cuddle him !

I kept telling him I hated him and he must go away and at first he said he would, but then one day, Rose said he was coming to live with us. I was devastated How could she like my hateful brother ? Even Ginger was taken in by him and I would watch them play together and curl up to go to sleep, all the things he used to do with me !

That was five years ago and though I am friends again with my Mummy, I've never really forgiven her for giving birth to my horrible brother. I thought I would teach them all a lesson by going to visit the neighbours as they would be upset in case I decided to live there, but Rose said it would be nice for me to have some friends and wasn t upset at all! As the neighbour had a cat, I decided it was no better than at home and came back.

I keep trying to tell my brother to leave as I hiss every time he walks past me and hit him with my paws, but he refuses to leave .I m sure Rose likes him best, though she seems pleased on the rare occasions I deign to sit on her lap.

I watch the others, my Mummy, Ginger and Leo my nasty brother all playing and eating together. Sometimes they even all sit on Rose s bed together, no matter how much I hiss they never invite me to join them.

I wish I were an only cat and that a had a magic spell to make them all vanish then I would have my rightful place as sole cat and ruler of the household !