The Big Pitch

The next day, Mia and Kyle brought a bunch of cute photos of the kittens to school. Before class started, they convinced Mrs. Lockwood to let them talk to the other students.

“Kyle and Mia have an announcement to make,” Mrs. Lockwood said. “So, everyone, please pay attention.”

Kyle took his place by the chalkboard while Mia handed out pictures for the rest of the kids to pass around. “Mia and I found three abandoned kittens on Monday afternoon,” he said.

“Why were they abandoned?” someone asked.

“We think their mother left to go look for food,” Kyle said. “Or something happened to her.”

“The kittens were really small and weak, so we had to take them to Kyle’s mom’s vet clinic,” Mia added.

“And now we have to find homes for them,” Kyle said.

“I love this one!” Lacey said. She giggled and held up a picture of Rex cleaning one of the kittens with his tongue. The kitten’s face was all scrunched up.

“And this one,” Connor said, holding up a picture of Tiger sleeping next to Rex. “It looks like he’s using your dog’s ear as a blanket.”

“That’s Tiger,” Kyle said. “We took that picture after he snuck out of the box the other day. I thought he was making a run for it!”

“When will they be old enough to take home?” Billy asked.

“You can have one at the end of the week,” Kyle said. “They’re about seven weeks old right now. My mom said they could go home to their new homes at eight weeks.”

“If you’re interested, you can see them at Kyle’s mom’s clinic,” Mia said. “The kittens have to get good homes, and we won’t worry if you guys take them.”

“They’re cute, but I don’t want a fur ball,” Billy said. “I like creepy critters.”

Ryan shook his head. “I can’t take one,” he said. “My sister already has a cat, and my parents don’t want any more pets.”

“My brother’s snake gets loose sometimes,” Lacey said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a kitten in the house with a snake on the loose.”

“I’d love a kitten, but my mom is allergic to cat hair,” Emma said. “Sorry.”

Kyle and Mia exchanged a worried glance. It seemed like everyone they talked to thought the kittens were adorable. But as cute as everyone thought they were, no one had offered to take one home.

As soon as they got home, Kyle and Mia hurried to the shed. The food dish was empty again, but there was still no sign of the mother cat.

They filled the dishes with more food and fresh water and rushed back to the clinic, just in case anyone from school showed up to see the kittens.

Nobody did.

“What are we going to do?” Mia asked when they sat down to feed the kittens. “The kittens can’t stay here forever. They need homes.”

“We’ll think of something,” Kyle said. “We have to.”