A Cat’s Accidental Phone Discovery… When a Ginger Stray Finds Warmth in Rita’s Missing Smartphone, a…

A cat happens to stumble upon a mobile phone

The cat stumbles upon a phone quite by accident. It smells of a human and is pleasantly warm. Making itself comfortable, it cuddles up to the device, wraps its paws around it, and lies downonly for the smartphone to suddenly come to life at the brush of a gentle paw.

Sophie never really had the chance to enjoy her new smartphone. Almost immediately, the phone proved faulty: it would heat up after the smallest tap. And then, somehow, she managed to lose it altogether.

What a shame It was a fantastic phone: large screen, long-lasting batterythe very thing that let her down in the end. And theres no chance to return it nowits simply vanished.

Feeling annoyed at herself for being so daft, Sophie grabs her trusty, battered old Nokia and dials her own number. The phone rings, but no one answers.

With a sigh, Sophie pours herself some valerian drops to calm her nerves, lies back, and tries to trace her steps from earlier in the day. Maybe, if she retraces her route, the phone will turn up. Suddenly, theres a vibration under her handan incoming call. Her own number flashes on the screen.

Hullo! Whos there? she answers quickly.

All she hears is shuffling, a couple of faint sighs and then, out of nowhere: Meow

Sophie abruptly hangs up. Someones taking the mick, she mutters. She regrets not having put a lock on the phonenow some joker is having a field day with it. Before she can put the phone down, it rings again.

More sighs, and quiet rustling and then, once more, a plaintive meow in response to her voice.

Stop calling me! Sophie snaps, exasperated.

But the calls keep coming. Deciding theres nothing to lose now, Sophie grabs her coat and heads outside. The calls are obviously coming from nearbyperhaps the prankster is hanging about where they found the phone. All she has to do is retrace her route.

She walks, dialling her number every so often. Suddenly, quite by chance, she hears her ringtone nearby. Sophie hurries towards the sound, already thinking up a stern talking-to for whoever decided to mock her misfortune.

Meanwhile, the cat, now snuggled up to the warm device, is startled as it repeatedly talks. Curiously, the cat sniffs the phone, but it keeps chattering away. So, politely, the cat meows in reply.

The smartphone falls silent. The cat tentatively bats it with a pawthe phone starts speaking again. Its getting warmer. On this cold day, the strange object is like a little heated haven. The cat paws at it once more.

Suddenly, the smartphone erupts in song. Alarmed, the cat bats it harder, but the noise continues. In the commotion of battling the singing object, the cat doesnt notice someone approaching under the tree.

All of Sophies righteous indignation evaporates when she finally confronts the culprit. Under a tree, she finds a bedraggled ginger tom, fur ruffled by the chill, whacking the smartphone with his paw, desperate to silence it. But the moment he spots Sophie

He bolts over to her like a long-lost friend. His purring, the way he nuzzles her handsits impossible to resist. Sophie stands there, taken aback by the sheer affection of this ginger stranger.

The cat brushes his cold nose against her cheeks, as if kissing her. She realises just how chilly he isno wonder he was soaking up the warmth from her overheated mobile.

With the phone in her pocket and the ginger fellow in her arms, Sophie wanders home, pondering this strange case of love at first sight. How had she charmed this amber ball of fluff so quickly? After such a display, she couldnt possibly leave him out in the cold.

Deliriously happy, the cat wriggles in her arms, rubbing his head against her lips and chin, though Sophie tries to dodgethough, truth be told, shes rather enjoying it. Street cat though he may be, hes sweeter than any house pet.

Of course, the mystery is easily solved

The cat is tipsy from the smell of valerian that Sophie spilled earlier when trying to calm herself down.