— I’m So Fed Up With You!… I Eat Wrong, I Dress Wrong, I Do Everything Wrong! — Pavel’s Voice Rose to a Shout. — You Can’t Do Anything Right!… Not Even Earn Proper Money!… I Can Never Count on You for Help at Home!… — Marina Burst Into Tears, — …And We Have No Children…, — She Added, Barely Audible. Belka — a White-and-Ginger Cat, About Ten Years Old — Sat Atop the Wardrobe, Silently Observing Another “Family Tragedy.” She Knew, She Felt, Her Mum and Dad Truly Loved Each Other… So Why Hurt Each Other With Such Bitter Words If It Only Made Everyone Miserable? Mum Ran Off to Cry in the Bedroom, While Dad Lit One Cigarette After Another. Belka, Realizing Her Family Was Falling Apart, Thought: “We Need Happiness in This House… And Happiness Means Children… We Must Find Children Somehow…” Belka Herself Couldn’t Have Kittens — She’d Been Neutered Long Ago, and as for Mum…, the Doctors Said Maybe, But It Hadn’t Happened… The Next Morning, While Mum and Dad Were at Work, Belka Climbed Out the Window for the First Time to Visit Her Neighbourcat, Pawsy, for Advice. — Why On Earth Would You Want Kids?! — Pawsy Snorted, — Whenever the Neighbourhood Kittens Visit, I Just Hide… They Smear Lipstick on My Nose or Squeeze Me So Hard I Can’t Breathe! Belka Sighed: — We Just Need Normal Children… But Where to Find Them… — Well…, That Masha Down the Road Has Had a Litter…, Five of Them…, — Pawsy Remarked, Deep in Thought — Take Your Pick… On Her Own and a Bit Nervous, Belka Dared to Jump Balcony to Balcony Down to the Street. She Squeezed Through the Basement Grille and Called Out: — Masha, Please Come Out for a Second… From Deep in the Basement Came Desperate Squeaking. Cautiously, Glancing Around, Belka Crawled to the Sound and Nearly Cried at the Sight: Five Tiny, Blind Kittens Under the Pipes, Pushing Their Noses into the Air and Crying for Mum — Who Didn’t Seem to Have Been There for at Least Three Days… Fighting Back Tears, Belka Carefully Carried Each Kitten to the Doorstep. Lying Down Beside Them to Keep Them Warm and Quiet, She Waited Anxiously For Mum and Dad to Come Home. Pavel, Wordlessly Meeting Marina After Work, Drove Home in Silence. As They Reached The Front Door, They Were Stunned: There Was Their Belka — Who’d Never Ventured Outside Alone — With Five Squeaking, Colourful Kittens Trying to Nurse From Her. — What on Earth…? — Pavel Was At a Loss. — A Miracle…, — Echoed Marina, and Together They Scooped Up the Cat and Kittens and Rushed Inside… As He Watched the Now-Purring Belka With Her Patchwork Litter in a Box, Pavel Asked: — So, What Are We Supposed to Do With Them All? — I’ll Feed Them With the Bottle… When They’re Bigger We’ll Find Them Homes… I’ll Call the Girls…, — Marina Replied Quietly. Three Months Later, Marina, Still “Stunned” by the News, Sat Stroking the Feline “Tribe,” Staring Blankly, Repeating Over and Over: — This Just Doesn’t Happen…, This Just Doesn’t Happen… And Then She and Pavel Cried With Joy, He Spun Her in His Arms, and They Chattered Excitedly, All At Once: — I Didn’t Build This House For Nothing!… — Yes, It’ll Be Perfect For a Child to Play Outside!… — And Let the Kittens Roam Too!… — There’s Space For All Of Us!… — I Love You So Much!… — Oh, and I Love You Even More!… Wise Old Belka Wiped Away a Tear — Life Was Looking Up, After All…

Im absolutely fed up with you! Youre always on at methe way I eat isnt right, the way I dress isnt right Apparently, I cant do anything right! Toms voice suddenly cracked as he raised it.

You cant do anything! You cant even earn a proper wage! And I can never get any help from you around the house! sobbed Sarah, tears streaming down her cheeks, And we dont even have kids she whispered, barely audible.

Snowflakethe familys white-and-ginger cat, who mustve been about ten years oldwas perched quietly atop the wardrobe, watching the latest tragedy unfold. Even though she was just a cat, Snowflake sensed that Dad and Mum loved each other, really loved each other So it baffled her why theyd ever say such hurtful things, words that just made everything worse.

Mum dashed out of the room in tears, and Dad stayed, chain smoking himself into a cloud of misery.

Snowflake, knowing her family was falling to bits before her eyes, sat pondering, This house needs a bit of joy Families are happier when little ones are running about There ought to be some kids here But it wasn’t that simple. Snowflake herself couldnt have kittensshed been neutered ages ago. As for Mum, well, the doctors said it was possible, but things just never seemed to work out

So, the next morning, once the parents had both left for work, Snowflake, for the very first time in her life, hopped out the window and paid a visit to her neighbour, Mittens, for a natter and some advice.

Why on earth do you want kids? sniffed Mittens, Whenever mine pop round, I end up hiding from them. Last week, they got lipstick all over my whiskers, and theyre always squeezing the life out of me!

Snowflake let out a heavy sigh, We need *decent* children If only I knew where to find some

Hmm You know that old stray, Molly, down by the bins? Shes just had a litterthere must be five of the blighters. Take your pick

Taking a shaky breath, Snowflake leapt balcony to balcony until she landed in the alley. Her nerves jangling, she crept through the railings and called out softly, Molly, could you come here a moment?

From deep below, she heard tiny, desperate mewling.

Tiptoeing closer and glancing about nervously, Snowflake nearly wept at what she saw. Lying there beneath the radiator, straight on the rough stone, were five tiny, helpless kittenseyes not even open yet, wriggling and wailing for a mum who hadnt been in days. Three days, at least. The poor things were starving.

With tears threatening to spill, Snowflake gingerly scooped up each kitten, one by one, and padded with them to the steps outside her block.

Doing her best to keep the hungry little lot from tumbling away, she curled up with them, glancing anxiously down the road, waiting for Mum and Dad to come home.

Tom met Sarah at the station in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. As they turned the corner, both stopped deadthere was Snowflake, their own cat, whod never set paw outside alone before, lying right on the porch, and nestled up against her, five mewling kittens of every colour.

What on earth? Tom stammered in disbelief.

Its a miracle, Sarah whispered, and together they scooped up Snowflake and the kittens, hurrying inside.

As they watched Snowflake purring contentedly in a box, surrounded by her adopted brood, Tom scratched his head, What are we supposed to do with them?

Ill bottle-feed them, said Sarah quietly. Once theyre bigger, well find them good homesIll ring my friends

Three months later, Sarah, dazed, sat stroking their clowder of kittens, staring dreamily into space and repeating in wonder, This just isnt possible It just isnt

Then both she and Tom burst out laughing and crying all at once. Tom swept her up, spinning her round the room, both of them talking over each other in delight

All that work on the house was worth it!
Yes! Its perfect for a baby, fresh air and all!
And let the kittens race about!
Theres room for everyone!
I love you!
I love you even more!

Wise old Snowflake blinked away a tearmaybe, just maybe, things really were looking upAs laughter echoed through the flat, the kittens tumbled over each other in a frenzy of play, their tiny paws batting at makeshift toys and each others twitching tails. Snowflake sat nearby, eyes half-closed, purring louder than any of them had ever hearda sound that seemed to fill the entire home with warmth.

That night, when the house finally went quiet, Tom and Sarah lay side by side on the sofa, sharing a blanket and grinning into the darkness.

Funny, whispered Sarah, gazing at the moonlit shapes of kittens sprawled belly-up on the rug, how you can lose everything, over and over, and then suddenlyfind more than you ever thought possible.

Tom squeezed her hand, Maybe we just needed a little reminder.

Snowflake blinked lazily, the proudest cat in the world. Her heart, for the first time in years, felt completely at rest. She purred a silent vow to her patchwork family: whatever storms might come, someday, this house would sound with the patter of many feetand laughter would always find its way back in.

In the gentle hush before sleep, kittens rumbling, two hearts mended, and the old cat keeping vigil, it seemed as though, for this home, anything was possibleso long as they stayed together.