“There are more cats in this house than people!” Isla’s mum grumbled as she searched for somewhere to sit that hadn’t already been claimed by a cat. “Sorry, Benny,” she said, lifting the tortoiseshell cat off the armchair. She placed her on the floor and flopped into the chair.
Benny gave a disgruntled meow and jumped on to the beanbag beside Isla.
Isla tried her best to look sympathetic, but she couldn’t help smile. Gran was moving in for good, they had a house full of cats, and best of all, they were going to open Poppy’s Place – their very own cat café. Isla didn’t think she could be any happier. She smothered a giggle as one of Benny’s kittens attacked a pom-pom on Mum’s slipper.
Mum wiggled her foot, trying to shoo the tiny kitten away, but caught the attention of another kitten who pounced on the other slipper.
“We need to get organized,” Mum sighed. “It’s time we made some real plans for Poppy’s Place.”
“I’ve already made a few notes,” Isla said. “Maybe we should have a family meeting?”
Mum nodded. “Good idea.”
Isla had said a few, but she had nearly filled her cat notebook with lists and ideas and plans for their home-made cat café. She’d been itching to get going, but with her starting secondary school, Mum’s busy veterinary nurse job at Abbey Park Vets and Gran’s big move, they hadn’t had time to do much.
“Palmer family meeting!” Isla yelled.
“What’s the big emergency?” Her older sister Tilda wandered into the conservatory, tapping away on her phone.
Mum gestured to the ever-growing number of cats, who seemed keen to join in with the meeting. “Er, the fact that our house now contains more cats than people.”
“It’s time to make Poppy’s Place happen!” Isla cried.
Before Tilda could respond, Milo swooped in wearing his new superhero outfit. Gran had made him a Catboy costume with a black cape and a black mask with pointed ears. A long tail peeped out from beneath his cape. Isla suspected that part of the reason Milo loved it so much was because the mask hid his hearing aid.
“Do not fear, Catboy is here!” Isla’s little brother announced, racing over to the kittens.
Isla couldn’t help laughing – since Benny’s surprise kittens had been born, Milo was almost as cat-crazy as she was.
“I’ve been helping Gran make jam tarts,” Milo said, giggling as the four kittens licked at his fingers. “They love jam.”
There was a small meow as Poppy padded into the conservatory, followed by Gran carrying a tray of freshly baked tarts and a steaming pot of tea.
“Did you show everyone Poppy’s new trick?” Gran asked Milo, setting the tray down.
Milo leaped up and held out his hand. He wiggled his fingers and Poppy jumped up, tapping his hand with her nose. Milo grinned. “Poppy loves jam, too!”
“She’s amazing,” Isla said, leaning over to give Poppy a hug before grabbing two of the jam tarts, still warm from the oven.
One of the best things about Gran moving in was all the baking. Her cakes and biscuits were a hit with the whole family, as well as their friends and neighbours. Isla knew the yummy treats would make the perfect addition to Poppy’s Place. People who didn’t (or couldn’t) have a cat of their own could spend time with their favourite animal and enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of one of Gran’s delicious cakes.
“Shall we get started?” Isla asked eagerly, giggling as Roo licked at the crumbs on her jeans. She reached out and picked up the small grey cat, settling him beside Benny on the beanbag. “Why don’t you sit up here?” she said, stroking his ears. “Hopefully Benny will be a calming influence on you!”
Isla grabbed her notebook and found the Plans for Poppy’s Place page. “I’ve made a list,” she told her family.
Tilda rolled her eyes. “You love making lists almost as much as you love cats.”
Isla stuck out her tongue in reply.
“It’s time we made plans to get Poppy’s Place up and running,” Mum said, shooting Tilda a warning look. “Otherwise it’ll never happen. Besides, we need to do something about all these cats.”
“It might be a good idea to give everyone a job,” Isla said. “Gran … you and Milo could be in charge of the menu and anything to do with food and drink.”
“Can we have brownies on the menu?” Milo asked. “They’re my favourite. Oh, and lemon slices, and flapjacks, and—”
“I’m sure we can have all of those,” Gran chuckled.
“Tilda … you could take charge of the website and publicity,” Isla suggested.
Tilda glanced up from her phone. “I’ve already started actually. I’ve made a holding page for the website and I’ve added a page on my blog where people can sign up to find out more about Poppy’s Place and the cats.”
“That’s great!” Isla said, impressed.
Tilda gave her a little smile. “Maybe you can write some cat profiles?”
“Yes! And that would fit in perfectly with my job … I’m going to be the Creative Director.”
Milo crinkled his nose. “What does that mean?”
“It means that I’ll be in charge of decorations, choosing toys for the cats, making posters… I’ve designed one poster already.”
Isla showed them a sketch with the words Poppy’s Place surrounded by pictures of Poppy and the other cats.
“It’s a bit rough at the moment, but you get the idea. I thought it could go in the front window.”
“That’s wonderful,” Gran said.
Isla grinned. She had spent ages trying to get the cats’ noses right, so she was pleased Gran approved.
“What does that leave me with?” Mum asked.
Isla looked at her notebook. “Er … finance and forms.”
Mum made a horrified-looking face.
“How about Chief Organizer?” Gran suggested, winking at Isla.
“That’s perfect!” grinned Isla. “It’s the most important job of all.”
Mum frowned. “It’s going to be a lot of work.”
“We just have to be organized,” said Isla confidently. “I’m sure we can open by the end of half-term.”
“Half-term!” Mum spluttered, choking on her tea.
“We could have the grand opening on the second Saturday – that’ll give us the whole week when we’re off school to do all the finishing touches,” Isla said.
“That only gives us … five weeks!” Mum cried. “I was thinking more like next year.”
Isla gaped at Mum. “What about all the homeless cats in need of a forever home? Poppy’s Place isn’t just a solution for our cat crisis, but for all the other cats who need help.”
Isla looked at Poppy, who was now curled up happily on Gran’s lap. Poppy had arrived at Abbey Park Vets as a stray after she’d been hit by a car. Gran and Isla had convinced Mum to let Poppy come home. And that had been just the beginning. Slowly Poppy had worked her magic on Mum and they’d ended up taking in Roo, Benny and Benny’s four kittens.
“I hate the idea of cats like Poppy having nowhere to go,” Isla said sadly.
“I do, too, Isla,” Mum said. “But at least there’s the cat sanctuary – Dolly does an amazing job.”
“But it’s always full,” Isla argued. “What about our idea of helping cats find their forever homes through Poppy’s Place? We could see if the sanctuary has any cats that might be suitable to come here?”
“We do have rather a lot of cats already,” Mum pointed out. “But I guess we could plan a visit to Dolly’s.” She glanced at Milo and the kittens and whispered, “The kittens will be old enough to leave Benny in a few weeks’ time.”
Isla’s heart sank. She knew the day would come when the kittens would have to leave, but they’d all fallen in love with them, especially Milo, and she’d hoped Mum might let them stay for Poppy’s Place. She glanced at Gran who was watching Milo with a sad look on her face. Isla knew she felt the same way.
“Is the meeting finished?” Tilda asked. “I’m meeting Gabriella in town in half an hour.”
“Not quite,” Mum said. “I need a list of my own.”
She went to the kitchen and returned with a whiteboard they used for messages and reminders. She wiped it clean then scribbled Poppy’s Place – Where? When? How? at the top.
“I think the conservatory is the best room for the café,” Mum said. “Agreed?”
Everyone nodded. The conservatory was Isla’s favourite room. It ran along the entire back of the house, overlooking the garden. Isla imagined it transformed – with comfy sofas and beanbags for the customers, and toys for the cats to play with. There was already a cat flap which led out to the garden so the cats could come and go as they pleased.
“Mr Evans has volunteered to help us with the garden,” Gran said. “So on sunny days we can have tables out there, too.”
“Great,” said Mum, scribbling notes on the whiteboard.
Isla frowned as a thought occurred to her. “When are we actually going to be open?” she asked. “We’re at school during the week and you’re at work, Mum. That only really leaves weekends.”
“Gran’s here all the time,” Milo said.
“I can’t run Poppy’s Place on my own, Milo,” said Gran, ruffling his hair. “Besides, where would I be without my kitchen helper?”
“I think weekends are probably all we can cope with,” Mum said, adding a note to the whiteboard. “At least to begin with.”
Isla nodded, wishing she didn’t have to go to school. She’d much rather stay at home to help out with the cats and Poppy’s Place.
“I read online that other cat cafés have rules about how many customers they can have at one time and how long they stay for, so we should definitely write some rules for Poppy’s Place,” Tilda said. She held up her phone and showed them an image of a cat-shaped teapot. “And we could sell cat-themed stuff like this as well, and maybe cushions and cat calendars.”
Mum frantically scribbled down Tilda’s ideas.
“That’s all part of my job as Creative Director!” Isla interrupted.
Tilda ignored her. “Then there’s all the equipment we’re going to need – coffee machine, tablecloths, cups, saucers…”
“That reminds me, I’ve got a few bits of furniture coming from my old house first thing tomorrow,” Gran said. “Maybe some of it would be suitable for Poppy’s Place? I’ve got some garden furniture, too.”
Mum stared at the whiteboard covered in notes.
“This is going to take a lot more planning than I thought … not to mention money. We need to start with the important things, like filling out forms and applying for a licence – without that we might not even be allowed to open.”
“We can take care of everything else, though,” Isla said, bubbling with excitement. She couldn’t wait to start – it was going to be so much fun! “So can we open at half-term?” she asked. “Please.”
Mum didn’t look convinced.
“Honestly,” Isla said. “You do the forms and leave the rest to us. Poppy’s Place will be up and running in no time.”
