Cali’s Family

One hot July afternoon, a family drove 30 miles from their farm to the town of Pleasantville to shop and enjoy the downtown bookstore. The family’s calico cat had recently had a litter of kittens so the family took the mama cat and her kittens along on the car ride with the family. Packed in a big cardboard box, this was the first time the kittens had been away from the farm. One of the kittens was extra lively and already learning to climb. She was white and tan with spots and colors just like the coloring of the cows on their farm. For this reason, the family named that kitten Milky.

The following week, a lonely, crying kitten was spotted near the Pleasantville Bookstore. Shoppers outside the bookstore believed that the kitten was orphaned, so they took her inside to decide what to do. The bookstore owner adopted the little calico kitten and named her Cali. He made Cali the bookstore cat. For four months, Cali lived in the bookstore. She liked to be with the shoppers, walking on the reading tables, sleeping on the bookshelves, and letting everyone in the bookstore pet her. Shoppers came to the store just to see Cali the bookstore cat. The bookstore was indeed Cali’s new home. The owner loved Cali and Cali loved him.

The family never knew how or where they had lost Milky. One day the family drove back into the town of Pleasantville to shop at the bookstore. They saw Cali. Cali let the family members pet her. They saw the white and tan cow spots on her fur. Cali was bigger, but she had the same marks as the kitten they lost four months ago. The family knew Cali was their lost kitten. The family did not know what to do. They talked to the store owner. The store owner decided to give Cali back to the family.

Back on the family farm, Cali was called Milky. She had four brothers and sisters, but she did not get along with them. She was used to being the only cat. The family saw that Milky was not happy, so they had a meeting. They loved the kitten, but they knew what they must do. The family took Milky back to the bookstore. The owner was so happy he cried! Soon Cali was part of her bookstore family, purring and walking and sleeping in all of her favorite places. Cali was happy to be the bookstore cat.