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“There were three in this litter, but two of them were rehomed yesterday. I think this little one’s feeling a bit lonely.” Debbie beckoned them along the corridor to the enclosure, where a small grey kitten was stretched out on his sleeping shelf, licking a paw and looking sad. He glanced up as Olivia and her family came closer, and Olivia laughed delightedly. His round green eyes gave him a permanent surprised look, and he had a dark smudge on his tail – almost as though someone had flicked a black paintbrush at him.

The kitten jumped down from his sleeping shelf, and pattered over to the wire front of the pen.

“He’s so beautiful, Mum,” Olivia whispered. “Look at him! He’s so cute, with his little smudgy tail!”

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“He is very sweet,” Mum agreed.

The kitten mewed hopefully. He liked Debbie, and he knew she usually came to feed him and fuss over him. And he liked the look of the other people too. Maybe they’d pick him up. They might even take him away with them. Someone had taken his sisters, so why not him?

“Where did he come from?” Dad asked. “You don’t have his mum as well, like the other kittens?”

Debbie shook her head, and sighed.“No…” She glanced at Ben and Olivia, as though she didn’t want to upset them. “These kittens were abandoned. A lady out for a walk by the canal found them. Someone had just left them in a cardboard box.”

Olivia stared at the kitten, who was pawing hopefully at the wire. How could someone just have abandoned him?

“They were lucky to be found so quickly,” Debbie added. “They were only two weeks old; they would have died if they’d been left much longer without food.” She patted Olivia’s arm, seeing how upset she was. “But the good thing about it is that the kittens were bottle-fed, which means they’re super-friendly. This one is a little love. He wants to be cuddled all the time.”

“Can we have him?” Olivia turned round. “Ben, don’t you think he’s gorgeous?”

“I suppose. The ginger ones were really fun, but he looks friendly, too,” Ben said.

“Let’s get him out so you can give him a stroke,” Debbie suggested.

“Oh, yes please…” Olivia gazed through the wire at the kitten. He was scrabbling at it now, looking as though he liked the idea too. Debbie opened the front of the pen, and laughed as he scampered out before she could catch him.

The kitten skidded to a stop in front of Olivia’s feet, and glanced up, suddenly shy. He looked at Olivia sideways, obviously wondering who she was and if she was friendly.

Olivia stretched out her fingers to him, and he sniffed them, and then rubbed the side of his face up and down her hand.“Ahhh. Do you think I could pick him up?” she asked Debbie.

“Give it a try. Don’t worry if he wriggles away, he’ll probably be a bit excited.”

But the kitten snuggled happily against Olivia’s school jumper, and purred. This was just what he wanted. So much better than being all alone in the pen, and the girl smelled nice.

Olivia stroked him gently behind the ears. His fur was soft and velvety, and he nuzzled a tiny, cold pink nose into her neck, making her giggle.“Oh, listen to him purring! He feels like a little lawn mower!”

The kitten closed his eyes happily, and kneaded his paws into Olivia’s shoulder.

Debbie smiled.“He’s definitely taken to you.”

Olivia’s eyes glowed as she looked up at her parents, kitten paws tangled in her jumper. “Please can we have him?”

“But what about the ginger ones?” Ben grumbled, but then he stroked the top of the kitten’s head. “I guess he is quite cute,” he admitted.

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Dad nodded, smiling.“So what are we going to call him then?”

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In the end, the name was obvious. Smudge just fitted. Olivia’s mum suggested Alfie, and Ben wanted to call him after his favourite footballer, but Smudge just looked like Smudge.

He fitted into the house too. Debbie had said that he was already house-trained. She’d also explained that Smudge had had all his vaccinations, and was safe to go outside, but it would be better not to let him out on his own for the first couple of weeks, while he got used to his new home. Dad was glad about that, as it gave him a bit longer to fit the cat flap.

On his first night, Olivia had left Smudge curled up in his new basket. She’d lined up all his toys next to him, and given him one of her old toy cats in case he was lonely. Then she’d refilled his water bowl, and given him a prawn-flavour cat treat as a bedtime snack.

“Olivia, it’s way past your bedtime!” Mum put an arm round her shoulders. “He’ll be fine. He’s used to the Rescue Centre. I’m sure our kitchen’s much nicer than that pen he was in.”

Olivia nodded.“Yes, but he doesn’t know our house yet, and he doesn’t understand what’s happening. What if he thinks we’re never coming back?”

“Come on. You’re not sleeping in the kitchen with him, Livvy.”

Olivia sighed and looked back sadly as Mum shooed her out. The light from the hallway gleamed in the kitten’s huge eyes. He looked sad too.