For Mum and the Little One

**Diary Entry For Mum and Sonny**

I found him around the corner of a building, darting between piles of rubbish, desperate for food. Thats when I spotted the tiny grey kitten.

The little thing was dragging itself across the pavement, crying pitifully. A big, filthy, scrawny dogginger, I think, though the grime made it hard to tellpaused nearby. The kitten squeaked and crawled toward him. The dog growled, but the kitten didnt flinch.

*”Blimey,”* the dog thought. *”Just what I need. Here, little one, your mumll be back soon. Dont bother me.”* He tried nudging the kitten away with his paw, but the stubborn thing clung to his leg, tiny claws digging in, and fell silent.

*”Fine,”* the dog sighed. *”Ill wait till his mum shows up, then scarper.”*

The kitten dozed off, cozy and safe. The dog lay down too, waiting.

He waited a long time. A whole day passed. Evening came. Then night. No mother cat appeared. The dog understoodsomething terrible mustve happened to her.

The kitten woke, nuzzling the dogs belly. Hungry.

*”Now what?”* the dog grumbled. *”Cant leave him to starve.”*

He carried the kitten to the bins behind the pub, where scraps were tossed. He set the kitten in the bushes while he rummaged, ears pricked at every whimper. The little grey thing was calling for his mum.

*”Blast it,”* the dog muttered. He found half-eaten yoghurt pots and licked the sweet stuff onto the kittens face. The kitten purred, lapping it up.

*”There. Fed.”*

The kitten curled against the dogs side, claws snagged in his matted fur, and slept.

*”One more night,”* the dog decided.

But the kitten kept waking, crying, and the dog licked him quiet. By dawn, the kittens tiny eyes met his, and he nosed the dogs wet snout.

*”Mum.”*

And just like that, the dog knewhe wasnt leaving.

So it went. The dog chewed food soft for his kitten, who ate, then clung to him, played with his tail, slept on him. The dog felt warm. Like hed found home.

Summer passed. The kitten grew; the dog thinned. Autumn brought endless rain. The dog held his kitten close at night, shivering but shielding him from the cold.

Then the dog fell illcoughing, sneezing. The kitten fretted.

*”Mum, whats wrong?”*

*”Nothing, love,”* the dog rasped. *”Just a chill. Stay close, Ill keep you warm.”*

Blinded by tears and fever, he didnt see the danger. The bins were emptythey had to move. He carried the kitten by the scruff, hurrying across the road.

A car rounded the corner too fast. The wipers couldnt keep up with the downpour.

The impact wasnt hardbut enough. The dog crumpled onto the pavement, left hind leg twisted. The driver, a doctor, rushed out.

*”Let me see,”* the man said gently.

The dog bared his teeth, shielding the bundle between his paws.

*”Easy,”* the doctor soothed. *”Im here to help.”*

Then he saw itthe kitten, wide-eyed beneath the dogs chest.

*”Oh.”*

He wrapped them in his coat, drove to a vet friends clinic. The vet took the kitten while he worked on the dog. The kitten yowled, writhing.

*”Mum! Mum!”*

*”Hush,”* the doctor murmured. *”Shell be alright.”*

Exhausted, the kitten slept in his arms.

Hours later, the vet said the dog would recoverwith care.

*”Ill take them,”* the doctor decided.

Days passed. The dog woke weak but alert, letting the doctor hand-feed him treats. The kitten watched, tense, until the vet chuckled.

*”Hes not worried for his *friend*,”* he said. *”Hes worried for his *mum*.”*

The doctor blinked. The vet scratched the kittens ears.

*”Dont fret. Shell be right as rain.”*

That evening, over a pint, the vet asked, *”Whatll you name them?”*

The doctor smiled. *”Her? Mum. Him? Sonny.”*

The vet raised his glass. *”To Mum and Sonny.”*

Later, the kitten clambered onto Mum, hugging her bandaged leg, and dozed off. The dog gazed down, baffled.

How had he ever lived without this little nuisance?

**Lesson learned:** Family isnt always blood. Sometimes, its a scruffy dog and a kitten who decided youre theirs.