Daddi Homeschools Mittens: Part 3
“Thanks for agreeing to homeschool Mittens, Daddi. His guardian, Mrs Frazzle, was very grateful to you.”
“I had no choice, Rinpoche – especially as it turns out that you told Mrs Frazzle I’d be ‘absolutely delighted and honoured’ to homeschool her kitten before you asked me if I’d be willing to do it!”
“I was doing you a favour, Daddi. Teaching and looking after a kitten will be a challenging experience for you.”
“Very challenging! Look at him, Rinpoche! How do I stop him from charging around in circles?”
“You need to calm him down with one of the Kitalin tablets that Mrs Frazzle gave you, Daddi. But hide the bottle of tablets away after giving him one. He likes the taste and recently ate every pill in the bottle! He had to have his stomach pumped by the vet lady afterwards.”
“Rinpoche, he’s tearing up my curtains now! Stop that, you crazy cat!”
“Daddi, don’t try to stop him. His counsellor says he should be encouraged to express his creativity.”
“He’s not expressing his creativity; he’s ripping my curtains to shreds! There’s a huge hole in one of them already!”
“It’s important to distract him by settling him into his routine as soon as possible, Daddi. If you blow a whistle, he’ll know that he has to stand in line.”
“How can he stand in line when he’s the only kitten here? Besides, I don’t have a whistle.”
“You could try singing instead, Daddi. That should shock him into silence… There! I told you it would work. Your singing has that effect on cats.”
“What should I do next?”
“Well, he has an appointment with his counsellor this morning. He sees her every week. We’d better take him immediately or we’ll be late.”
“Where does he see this counsellor?”
“In London, Daddi. Mrs Frazzle left the address in the basket with Mittens’ pills and other equipment.”
“In London? That’s insane! It’ll take us hours to get there in peak hour traffic! Surely he could see a counsellor who is closer to us?”
“Dr Anna Lies is the best cat counsellor there is, Daddi. She nourishes his independent spirit and boosts his self-esteem. Come to think of it, perhaps you should book an appointment with her too? You seem a little stressed today.”
