Dougal's Diary. David Greagg

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СКАЧАТЬ actually, but he'd just tapped my cage lightly and whispered something to me. I don't know what it was but it sounded encouraging.

      After I'd given myself a thorough wash I looked up again, and my friend's cage was open and the old man was holding him in his arms. I pointed my nose and sniffed, and my friend purred.

      He's just given me a name, he said. Milo, whatever that is. Remember the name! When a human names you it means they promise to look after you. Good luck, my friend. The old man leaned over so Milo could touch noses with me. I touched his cold nose for a moment and looked away, embarrassed. I was very pleased for him. I knew about names. Mum was called Persephone. You'd hear the humans calling her name at dinner-time. I don't have a name, because nobody wants me. Yet. We'll see about that. Milo's old man had cheered me up no end, because if he could find a human to love him, then perhaps I can too.

      3

      Today was the worst day yet. They took me out of my cage in the morning and carried me into a really horrible room with a big shiny table. I was very scared, because the room absolutely reeked of fear. It was almost solid, and I struggled. But one of the humans sang to me and somebody put something sharp into me. I struggled some more but fell asleep. When I woke up I felt groggy all over, as if I'd been hit by a brick.

      They've done something to me down near my tail. At first it just felt woozy but it started to hurt after a while. And they've put funny thread into my fur. I suppose it's because they've cut me and they have to hold the wound together. As I got more awake they put me back with the others. No one wants to talk about it, but apparently everyone has it done to them here. I calmed down a bit because one of the cats said it would stop hurting tomorrow. I believed him, because he showed me his scar there and it was all healed up. It's worse for the girls. One of them rolled onto her side and showed me her belly. They really have cut into her and she looks very sore.

      Two more cats got picked today. A lot of humans came through, but a lot of them didn't even look at me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I must be doing something they don't like. hit by a brick.

      4

      Today wasn't so bad. My scar still hurts but not nearly as much. Someone nice-looking looked at me through my cage so I touched noses with her. The other humans in the white coats opened my cage and picked me up and gave me to the woman. I liked her face. She smiled and sang to me and I remembered about being cute so I started playing with her. I felt her go all tense and when I looked at one of her hands it was covered in scratches. There was a little blood, which was a bit upsetting. I wonder how she did that to herself? And she went away and picked somebody else and I got put back in my cage and that was that. Wasn't I cute enough? Maybe I was too cute? Maybe I'm trying too hard.

      5

      I saw what Milo meant about the wild cats. They brought in two today, one in the morning and one later on. They were thin and they spat and howled and their eyes burned. The second one had bits missing off his ears and tail. He looked awful and he hissed at me. I turned away and washed myself hurriedly and everyone pretended that nothing had happened. One of the other cats talked to the first wild one, but he didn't get any sense of out him. Wild Cat One said he was going to get out if he had to bite his way out through the bars.

      I didn't like his chances. I'd already tried to bend the bars, but the others told me I was wasting my time and they were right. Late at night Wild Cat Two started screaming. And I couldn't help myself. I just sat in my cage and cried and cried because I was so scared. Everybody told me to shut up but I couldn't help it. Then Wild Cat Two shut me up by telling me that if I didn't stop he'd eat me. I knew he couldn't get to me, but he was only two cages away and I was really scared now. So eventually I calmed down. I just lay there and felt miserable. The only good thing is that my scar doesn't hurt any more. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

      6

      It was, but only because the two wild cats were taken away by the humans to wherever cats go who don't get picked. The rest of us didn't feel any better about life, and only one cat got picked today. I'm starting to get really worried. The others are scared too. I can smell it. We all smell of fear and the worry that no one will pick us and we'll be taken away and sent to wherever the wild cats go. I just sat where I was and cried as softly as I could manage. I hate my cage, and the other cats aren't any help.

      7

      Today I got picked! A woman came and she had a big box. She looks a bit different from the other humans, but she stroked my fur and smiled at me. And I patted her paws as gently as I could and tried to look cute and she smiled again and she said something to the humans in the white coats. They put me in a big box and tied the lid down, but that was OK because they put a small furry thing in with me. It smelt of cat and it was a kind thought. Then I could feel the humans carrying me outside and they put me inside something that smelt really strange. I later found out about boxes with wheels, and it must have been one of them.

      Anyway, I was all very excited because I'd been picked at last and this was going to be my new life. For now I am so relieved to be out of that horrible place that this has to be better. I remember when my friend had got his old man to pick him, we all felt sad and happy at the same time. We were happy for him, and glad to know that humans still wanted cats, so there was hope for us all. But we were also sad because someone got picked and it wasn't us. So when the woman carried me out I tried not to look at the other cages. Some faces sad, some playful, some sleeping and some just frozen. And they were the worst. I couldn't look at them, the poor little cats. I feel a bit guilty that I'm safe and they're not.

      The woman took me to her odd smelling place. I don't think she makes the same food as the humans I used to have. I have a basket and I live in the room with the machine that makes funny noises. I've got a small woolly rug in my box, and a dirt tray and a bowl of munchies and a bowl of water.

      I haven't seen any other humans yet but I can hear them. I think they've got a baby human. I can hear it crying sometimes. Apparently baby humans are really dumb and slow to learn stuff. I tried the food they left for me. The wet stuff was pretty dreadful and not what I was used to, but the munchies were good. I like munchies. Twice when I was pretending to be asleep some humans switched the light on and had a look. I stretched out and curled my nose into my paws. I hope I looked cute for them.

      8

      Today was very confusing and not very good. They put me next to the baby human and it just stared at me, making stupid noises. Then its mouth curled in a funny way and it reached out and grabbed hold of my tail hard. It was agonisingly painful and I couldn't help myself - I hit the baby. Not hard, but I must have scratched it, because blood dripped from its paw and it started to scream.

      The female human ran in and slapped me. REALLY HARD.

      I was so surprised I just stared at her for a moment. No human had ever done that to me before. She started yelling at me and I looked away, embarrassed.

      There's no point yelling at me! I can't understand a word you're saying, I wanted to tell her. Then she picked me up and put me in my room and shut the door.

      

Later the woman put me near the baby again to see what would happen. It was asleep so I curled up next to it and started purring. I think the baby liked that and the woman certainly did because she gave me some milk, which I drank and she patted me. Milk I can take or leave, but she obviously wanted to tell me I was a Good Cat.

      Later on she put me in with СКАЧАТЬ