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“Come on, Pickle.” Hailey’s mum scooped him up in her arms. “You can have your tea too.” But as soon as she put him down on the kitchen floor by his bowl, Pickle marched straight back out again and began to pace up and down by the dining-room door. The fur on his back was standing up in spikes, so he looked like a dinosaur. A hissing, angry black dinosaur cat, who didn’t know what had happened to his house.

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Isla only picked at her tea. She wasn’t that keen on tomato pasta anyway, but she usually ate it. Today she just didn’t feel hungry. She couldn’t stop thinking about Pickle and Silky. The tabby kitten was so beautiful and Hailey’s mum had said she’d been found outside a shop, abandoned in a cardboard box by the bins. She deserved to have some good luck now, after such a sad start. She needed a lovely home and Hailey’s house would be one, if it wasn’t for Pickle.

It wasn’t Pickle’s fault, though. He’d been living with Hailey and her family for years and years, and now suddenly everything had changed and he was just supposed to put up with it. That wasn’t really fair.

When Isla left Hailey’s house to walk back home, Pickle had been sitting on the front wall. He still had spiky fur all along his spine and his tail was twice its normal size. He did not look happy. Isla had tried to cheer him up, making lots of kissy noises and scratching him under the chin.

He let her stroke him, but he didn’t stand up and arch his back and purr like he usually did. He just sat there and twitched his tail grumpily.

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I’d be angry and upset too, Isla thought,if a new child turned up in my house without any warning.

She had been five when Chloe and Sienna were born. Before they arrived her mum and dad had talked to her a lot about new brothers or sisters, and how she was still special, and how much they loved her. She’d had ages to get used to the idea but she still wished she was an only child again sometimes, instead of a big sister. Particularly on days when Sienna and Chloe were being annoying.

Isla had watched Pickle– a hunched patch of darkness on Hailey’s garden wall – as she walked the little way down the street to her front gate. He didn’t seem to be looking at the birds, or checking out the cars going down the street, like he usually did. He was just staring gloomily at the bricks.

“Eat some more pasta, Isla,” Mum said, looking over at her.

Isla sighed and dug her fork in.

“I’m not very hungry,” she said a few moments later, stirring the pasta. “Can I go and do my homework?”

Her mum blinked. Usually she had to remind Isla over and over to get her homework done.“I suppose so. You’re really not hungry? Are you feeling all right?”

“Yeah… Just worrying about Hailey. Pickle doesn’t like the new kitten.”

Mum nodded.“Oh dear. Well I’m sure he’ll get used to having another cat around soon. Don’t fret, Isla.”

Isla wandered off upstairs, still miserable. Poor Pickle– what if hedidn’t get used to it? Everyone seemed to think that he would and that heought to. It was almost as if it was his own fault that he was upset and angry.

She scrawled her way through her maths homework, then stuffed it in her backpack and went to change into her pyjamas. Worrying made her tired, Isla decided. She didn’t feel like going downstairs to watch TV or play with Chloe and Sienna. She lay down on her bed instead, flicking through an old animal magazine.

If Pickle never decided to be friends with Silky, what would happen then? Isla turned over and pressed her nose into her pillow. Would Hailey’s mum and dad keep them both and just let them fight all the time? It would be awful. Pickle was miserable and Silky was scared. Neither of them would be happy.

What could be done about it, though?

Isla turned over on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She couldn’t see how it was all going to work out. The only solution was for Silky to go back to the shelter and then she would have been abandonedtwice.

It wasn’t fair.

If Silky belonged to me, Isla thought, biting her lip,I’d look after her so well. It’s not that Hailey’s family isn’t looking after her – but they thought they would be the perfect home for her and they’re just not.

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She shuffled her toes under the duvet, imagining a soft heavy lump of kitten slumped on top of them. She couldn’t help it. At her house, there was no sad older cat who needed his own family back, so Silky would be loved and fussed over and petted. Probably fussed over too much…

Isla sighed. That was exactly what Mum and Dad would say– that Chloe and Sienna were too young and not responsible enough. That they wouldn’t be able to cope with three children and a cat. Isla had begged so many times.

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Over the next few days, Isla kept asking Hailey about Pickle and Silky. Maybe she went on about it a bit too much because Hailey started to look upset whenever Isla mentioned cats. She definitely tried to change the subject.