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“Eleven of them,” Helen said. “Two litters. The smaller ones are ten weeks old, and the bigger ones are twelve weeks. Ready to go to their new homes.”

“Oh…” Tia breathed. “She’s old enough to come to us already?” She was still staring at the pretty dappled kitten in Helen’s arms. “If she wants to, I mean,” she added. Somehow it seemed quite clear that it wasn’t only her decision. The blue-green eyes peering over Helen’s arm were determined.

Helen nodded.“Why don’t you try and stroke her?” she said, lowering her arms a little to make it easier for Tia to reach the kitten.

Very gently, Tia held out her fingers, and the kitten sniffed them thoughtfully. Tia rubbed her hand over the kitten’s silky head. “Oh, she’s so soft. Like satin.”

The kitten let out a mighty purr, a huge noise from something so small, and Tia burst out laughing. The kitten laid back her ears, her eyes getting even huger, and Tia gulped.“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she murmured. But the kitten purred again, and Helen slowly held her out to Tia.

“See if she’ll let you hold her,” she said quietly.

Tia glanced nervously at Mum. But Mum gave an encouraging smile.“She does seem to like you, Tia. You’re so good at being gentle.”

Tia carefully took the kitten from Helen.“Look at her gorgeous spots,” she whispered to Mum.

Dad and Christy were crouched down by the dining table looking at one of the smaller kittens, who was perched on a chair.“She’s not quite like Charlie though, is she? Her spots are in rings. Like pawprints!”

“She is lovely,” Helen said. “You aren’t worried about her tail, then?”

“Oh! I forgot.” Tia peered round the little kitten, who was snuggling into the front of her top. It looked pretty much like a normal tail to her, only a little bit bent at the tip. “I love her tail,” she said firmly. “It’s so dark! Nearly black, and the rest of her looks like – like honeycomb toffee!”

“She does,” Mum nodded.

“So … we can really have her?” Tia asked hopefully. She giggled as the kitten hooked tiny claws into her top and started to mountaineer up her shoulder and round her neck until she was standing with her front paws on one shoulder and her back paws on the other, like a furry scarf.

Mum glanced over at Dad, who nodded.“I think she’s perfect.”

The kitten purred in Tia’s ear, as though she agreed.

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Tia had hoped they might be able to take the kitten home with them, but Mum and Dad said they needed to get everything ready first. Tia supposed they were right. They didn’t even have a cat carrier. So after they’d finally coaxed Christy away from the tiny kittens, they stopped off at the pet shop on the way home.

“Can we buy some toys as well?” Tia asked. “They had lots of toys at Helen’s house. I don’t want the kitten to be bored at ours.”

“What are the chances of that?” Dad laughed. “I don’t think her paws are going to touch the floor.”

“A couple of toys,” Mum agreed. “But we’re not going mad with them, Tia.”

“I’ve got my birthday money from Gran still,” Tia pointed out. “I could use that.” She stood in front of the cat toys, looking at catnip fish, laser pointers and jingly balls. What should she get? Tia could imagine the kitten loving them all.

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She was just trying out a clockwork mouse, when a poster hanging at the end of the aisle caught her eye. It was for the Cats Protection League, asking for donations to feed all the stray cats they took in. Tia looked at it thoughtfully. If her family had adopted a kitten from there, they would have made a donation…

She looked down at her basket and put back the feathery cat dancer and the catnip monkey. She could make a bunch of feathers, and Mum had lots of knitting wool. She would buy the mouse, but that was all. The rest of her money she dropped into the collection box at the till. The bag the lady gave her to take home was very light, but Tia didn’t mind.

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The kitten let out a despairing wail. She hated being shut up in the cat carrier. It was too small and it smelled funny, and she seemed to have been in it for ages. But then there was a clicking noise and the door swung open.

The girl was looking in at her now, the one who had stroked her and fussed over her. The kitten nosed forward cautiously. The girl rubbed her ears gently, and the kitten stepped out of the carrier and climbed on to her lap, which was beautifully still after the car ride. Then she peered around worriedly. This wasn’t the place she knew, and there seemed to be an awful lot of people and movement and noise.

“She’s so quiet,” Tia said, as Dad crouched next to her and stroked the kitten.

“She’s just not sure what’s going on, poor little thing. She’ll probably go and explore in a minute.”