Born in a barn

Not so long ago, in a barn near you and I, two kittens were born during the height of the summer. This barn was a bit old and run down, with a few holes in the roof and the door, who’s hinges had slipped so that it scrapped along the concrete scattering pieces of hay across the yard. Their mother was a polite, well mannered, cat who found the phrase ‘born in a barn’ to be very offensive considering that cats do not have opposable thumbs, and therefore cannot open or close most doors. She had chosen this barn to have her kittens in because it was very warm, with large, soft hay bales, and plenty of mice to catch.

She had five kittens, three of which had already left to explore the farm and all it had to offer. The two that remained, brother and sister, were the runt and the strongest of the litter and had become best friends in their seven weeks in the barn. They had stayed with their mother as the brother did not feel ready to leave her yet and his sister could never abandon him. The sister was large for her age and had long silver fur, with stripes on her back and her tail, and a white tummy covered in grey spots. The brother was very much smaller, he had dark grey, short hair with a white chin and tummy, and four white socks.

One day a car pulled up in front of the yellow farmhouse and a family climbed out, chatting and laughing between themselves. The two kittens trotted over to watch from a gap at the bottom of the door. This family were coming towards the barn. The brother was sacred of humans and so he hid as the sister strolled out to meet them. From behind a hay bale he could hear what they were saying as they scratched the three stripes across his sisters soft forehead “Aw this one is very sociable I think we have to take her!”

Oh no! Take her? And just like that they picked her up and stuffed her into a small cage, and started to walk away. The brother cried out, thinking he would never see his best friend again.

This may well have happened had the family not stopped to talk to the farmer before they left, leaving the car boot open with the sister inside. Her brother took this chance, summoned all the bravery he could, sprinted over, and leapt into the car with his sister. He found a small space behind her cage to hide in and waited, not knowing what was going to happen to either of them. The door closed and the car set off with a terrifying low rumbling that shook both kittens to their core.

After what seemed like a very long time, the rumbling noise stoped, and the kittens heard the car doors open. As the family lifted the boot and reached inside to pick up the sister’s cage, her brother let out a tiny cry in fear. Having heard this, the family very carefully slid the cage forward revealing the grey and white kitten. They were so taken by how adorable he looked cowering in the corner that they fell instantly in love. “Well we really weren’t planing to get two but we can’t take him back, look at that little face!” And with that the family picked up both cats and took them inside to their new home. Once they were free to roam about the house, both kittens realised what an improvement this was on the farm, and with each passing day the brother felt more and more that he was ready to have left his first home. The house had lots of nice, clean, fluffy blankets and every flavour of food they could imagine, chopped up into small pieces for their convenience and given at least five times a day! Whilst the sister continued to enjoy the outdoors, catching birds and hiding in the grass, her brother decided that it was far nicer to remind inside all of the time and never again have to feel grit and dirt on his white paws. And so they lived happily ever after with their new family.