Daddi Homeschools Mittens: Part 4
“Taking Mittens to that charlatan counsellor was a complete waste of time, Rinpoche. She basically told me that I should let Mittens do whatever he wants!”
“Dr Anna Lies is a highly trained professional, Daddi. She has a PhD in Cat Psychology.”
“Well, I’m not impressed with her homeschooling advice. “What do you suggest I should do with this demented kitten for the rest of the day, Rinpoche?”
“His school day usually starts with a Show and Tell session, Daddi. But that could be a problem because he doesn’t have anything to show.”
“He has the scraps of my curtain that he ripped to pieces!”
“I think he needs something more impressive than that. Perhaps we should go straight into a Kitty Crafts lesson instead.”
“What does that involve?”
“You mix some paints, and he makes paw prints on paper. Of course, you’ll have to be careful that he doesn’t drink the paint. He likes the taste of it. And he also enjoys painting walls.”
“We’ll definitely skip Kitty Crafts. Where has that pesky kitchen gone anyway?”
“I saw him heading for the kitchen, Daddi. Maybe he’s getting hungry? He usually has a bowl of milk at this time of the day; it helps him to settle down.”
“Fine, we’ll get him one. I’ve taken the milk out of the fridge. He’ll have to use your bowl, Rinpoche.”
“But, Daddi…”
“No ‘buts’, Rinpoche! You have to learn to share… What’s that noise?”
“You didn’t close the fridge properly, Daddi. It’s playing that annoying song that warns you that it’s been open for a while.”
“Oh Susanna? My goodness, you’re right, Rinpoche! Where’s Mittens? I hope he hasn’t climbed into the fridge!”
“No, Daddi. He’s sitting quietly in front of the fridge door, listening to the music. Mittens seems fascinated by it; he’s obviously a musical cat. Is there any chance that we could leave the fridge door open all day, so that he can keep listening?”
“Not a snowball’s chance, Rinpoche!”
****
“Daddi, I’ve just seen Mittens’ guardian, Mrs Frazzle. She’s so impressed with how you homeschooled Mittens yesterday!”
“Why is that? We didn’t teach Mittens anything; he’s totally unteachable.”
“She says he’s meowing Oh Susanna perfectly in tune! It’s all thanks to you, Daddi! Leaving the fridge open had a magical effect on his musical development.”
