“And she’s usually really good, isn’t she, Tom?” added Jo.
“Yes, she is,” said Tom. “She’s just not used to being on a farm yet, that’s all, Mum.”
Mrs Morgan pulled off her boots and flopped down at the kitchen table. She looked tired. “Put the kettle on, Tom love,” she said.
Tom filled the kettle with water and plugged it in.
Mrs Morgan wriggled her toes and put her feet up on a chair.
“Well,” she said, “I know Nell is only a kitten but she’s come here to be a farm cat.”
“I know, Mum,” said Tom.
His mum carried on, “That means not jumping in the animal feed. And not pulling straw out of the bales. And not chasing the ducks and pouncing on the animals. Especially the pigs. And especially Poppy.”
“I know, Mum,” Tom said again. “Nell will learn to be a good farm cat. I’m sure she will,” he added, crossing his fingers for luck.
The kettle boiled and Mrs Morgan got up to make herself a cup of tea. She poured out some orange juice for Tom, Hattie and Jo and then sat down again, looking worried. “The thing is, I don’t want Nell to upset Poppy again,” she said. “Poppy is due to have her piglets next week, and if she’s upset, she may not look after them properly.”
Tom’s heart thumped hard. Was his mum hinting that Nell might have to leave the farm? He had to think fast. “We could keep her inside until Poppy has had her piglets,” he suggested. “She could stay in my bedroom. I’d make sure she stayed in – honestly Mum! And I’d feed her and empty her litter tray and look after her and—”
“All right,” laughed Mrs Morgan. “You can keep Nell in your room until Poppy has had her piglets, OK?”
“Thanks, Mum!” Tom grinned. It would be great to have Nell sleep in his room. He often crept down to the kitchen at night to see if she was all right.
Tom picked up the cat basket and carefully carried it upstairs.
Nell stirred and gave a little miaow. In her dreams she was flying through the air.
Tom had just reached his bedroom door when Hattie bounded up behind him.
“It’s not fair you having Nell,” Hattie said, grabbing the basket.
“We want to have her too,” said Jo, coming up behind Hattie.
“Well, Mum said she could go in my room,” said Tom, trying to grab the basket back.
“No, in ours,” his sisters hissed.
“Mine!”
“Ours!” Hattie tugged the basket and Nell tumbled onto the floor. She woke up with a start and shot off into Tom’s room and hid under his bed.
“See. She likes my room the best anyway,” said Tom.
“No she doesn’t!” said Hattie crossly, still holding the basket.
“You just scared her, that’s all,” said Jo.
“Didn’t.”
“Did.”
“Stop it, you three!” Mrs Morgan yelled up the stairs. “Tom, are you looking after that kitten?”
“Yes, Mum!” yelled Tom.
“Good!” shouted Mrs Morgan.
Hattie pushed the basket back at Tom and stuck her tongue out.
Tom crossed his eyes and if he hadn’t been holding the basket he would have stuck his fingers up his nose too. He waited until Hattie and Jo had clumped off downstairs and then he went into his room and closed the door.
He scooped Nell out from under his bed, brushed some fluff off her nose and cuddled her tightly. “You’ve got to be good from now on, Nell,” he said.
“Miaow,” replied Nell.
“I mean it,” said Tom, trying to be stern again but not doing very well.
Nell saw Tom was smiling and licked his hand. She liked being in Tom’s room. She snuggled down and went back to sleep.
Chapter Two
When Tom woke up the next morning he found Nell curled up on the pillow beside him. Suddenly there was a hammering on the door and Hattie and Jo burst into the room.
Tom sat up with a start and Nell hid under the duvet.
“There are ten of them!” shouted Hattie, dancing round the room.
“And they’re so sweet!” yelled Jo as she leapt onto Tom’s bed.
And they’re so loud! thought Nell. She poked her nose out from under the duvet and sniffed. There was a smell around Jo and Hattie that reminded her of something. It reminded her of . . . PIG. Nell sneezed.
“Phew,” said Tom to Hattie and Jo, “You both smell of . . .”
“Piglets!” said Jo.
“Piglets?” asked Tom. ‘You mean Poppy’s had her . . .”
“Piglets!” Hattie and Jo squealed like a couple of big piglets themselves. They rushed out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind them.
Tom sighed and snuggled back down in bed. Sometimes his sisters were so noisy he wished he had earplugs, or a soundproof bedroom, or even better, a sisterproof bedroom.
When he was sure that Hattie and Jo had gone away, Tom got out of bed. He wanted to see if the piglets were all right. He was a bit worried that the piglets had arrived so early and hoped that it wasn’t Nell’s fault.
Tom got dressed, gave Eric some fish food and left Nell fast asleep on his pillow. He was soon outside in the morning sunshine.
“Morning, Tom.” Mrs Morgan popped her head up over the wall of the pigpen.
“Morning, Mum!” said Tom. “Is Poppy OK?” he asked anxiously. “I mean, the piglets . . . well, they were early and I wondered if it was because of Nell . . .”
Tom’s mum opened the gate to the pigpen for Tom to come in and look. She was smiling broadly. “They’re all just fine, Tom. I don’t think Nell did any harm. Poppy probably had them early because it is such a big litter. She’s never had so many piglets before and she’s looking after them very well. Isn’t she clever?”
Mrs Morgan bent down and stroked Poppy’s head. Poppy snuffled and snorted while she lay on the straw feeding a long line of tiny, wriggling, pink piglets.
“Wow!” said Tom. “I’ve never seen so many piglets!”
“I’m really pleased,” said Mrs Morgan proudly. “And how is Nell? Was she good last night?”
“Really good,” said Tom. “I think she’s going to behave from now on,” he added hopefully. He looked at the wriggling piglets lying close to their mum. They reminded him of when he had first seen Nell with all her brothers and sisters. They’d been gathered round their mum, a big tabby cat that lived on another farm.
Tom decided he’d better get back to his room to see if she was still behaving herself. “I’ll go and give Nell some breakfast, Mum,” he said.
“OK, Tom,” Mrs Morgan said. “But I think we need to keep Nell indoors today, until Poppy has got used to her new litter. Nell can come back out tomorrow.”
“Great,” said Tom, smiling happily. All he had to do was make sure Nell stayed out of trouble from now on.
Easy! Tom thought as he walked back to the kitchen to get Nell’s breakfast.
Impossible! he thought a few minutes later, when he opened his bedroom door. There was Nell, perched on the edge of a shelf just above the fish tank, staring at Eric.
Oh, no! Tom realised he must have left the lid off Eric’s tank again.
Inside the fish tank was one very scared goldfish.
Nell was just dipping a paw into the water when she glanced up and saw Tom. “Hello,” she miaowed. “Just doing a spot of fishing!”
“Nell!” yelled Tom. As soon as he said it he knew he shouldn’t have.
Suddenly Nell forgot where her front paws were and they slipped and slid – then fell – straight into the fish tank. The rest of Nell followed. Splash!