Buttons the Kitten Read online

“Well, Buttons, I think that was a great start,” I said. “We’ll go slow.

  A little bit today, and a little bit tomorrow. Pretty soon you’ll want

  to play all the time!”

  39

  CHAPTER 4

  The First Adoptions

  I played with Buttons as much as

  I could. He loved the flashlight! He’d forget about being afraid and chase the light all over the place. I always ended playtime with the spot of light in my lap. Buttons would jump onto

  it and let me pet him. Our shy little boy was getting braver!

  41

  Four days after the kittens arrived, Joss called. She had news. The Kim

  family would be coming to adopt a

  kitten. I hoped Buttons would be the one they picked.

  After dinner a grandma, a mom,

  and two daughters came to our

  house.

  “We live in an apartment that

  allows pets,” the mom said. “Missy

  and Grace are very excited to adopt a kitten.”

  Missy was my age. Grace was

  younger. They had straight black

  hair, just like me. They sat down

  with me on the floor. The kittens

  crawled all over us—except one.

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  Ollie came over to say hello to

  Missy and Grace.

  “Oh! Your dog has a cool-looking

  eye!” Grace said.

  Ollie has what looks like a small

  moon in his left eye. I love it! “We call it his moon eye,” I said.

  43

  Boots pawed at the toy Missy was holding. She lifted him up into her arms. He purred.

  “I like this one, Mama,” Missy said.

  Mrs. Kim smiled. “He looks sweet,”

  she said. “A playful kitten would

  be good, but not one that climbs

  everything.”

  “If you want a kitten that doesn’t

  climb on everything, you should pick Buttons,” I said.

  I went to get Buttons from the

  laundry room. The girls followed me.

  “Cute!” Grace said when she saw

  him. She reached out, but before she could pet him, Buttons squirmed

  out of my grip. He hid in a pile of laundry.

  44

  Grace frowned. “He doesn’t like us,” she said.

  “No, it’s not you,” Mom said from

  the doorway. “He’s just very shy.”

  “I think we’ll take this one,” Mrs.

  Kim said, pointing to Boots. He was still snuggling with Missy.

  After the Kim family left, I went

  back to the laundry room. I used the flashlight and coaxed Buttons into

  my lap. He sat quietly for a while.

  Then a truck rumbled by, and he ran back into the laundry basket.

  “He is doing better,” Mom said.

  “We just have to keep working at it.

  There has to be something that will make him feel safe.”

  45

  I thought about my baby blanket,

  but I didn’t say anything.

  The next day the principal from

  my school came to our house. “Hi,

  Ms. Lord,” I said. “Are you here to adopt a kitten?”

  Ms. Lord smiled. “Yes, Kaita. I’d

  love a kitten. I have a dog named

  Milo, but he’s friendly with cats. Joss tells me your foster kittens aren’t afraid of dogs.”

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  I nodded. “That’s right. They love Ollie,” I said.

  Ollie heard his name and ran into

  the room. Yip! Yip! Yip! He greeted Ms. Lord and then followed us into

  the living room.

  Dad pointed to the kittens. They

  were napping on the couch—except

  one. I went to get Buttons while Dad showed Ms. Lord the others.

  I couldn’t find him.

  I checked the laundry basket full

  of clothes. I checked under my bed. I even looked in the trash can! Buttons was nowhere to be found.

  “Kaita!” Dad called from the living room. “Don’t worry about Buttons.

  Ms. Lord picked Bean!”

  47

  Oh no! I mean, I was happy for Bean, but Ms. Lord didn’t even get to meet Buttons. I started to worry that he would never find a forever home.

  After Ms. Lord left, I found

  Buttons on the floor of my closet.

  “Hey, you,” I said softly, crawling into the closet. “What are you doing in here?”

  Buttons was lying under the baby

  blanket I thought I’d hidden. When

  he saw me, he sat up. The blanket

  covered his head like a hoodie.

  Meow.

  Buttons made a sound! His first

  one! I grinned.

  “Are you saying hello to me,

  Buttons?” I asked.

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  Meow.

  He twitched his tail, still under my blanket.

  I reached out slowly for him. I

  thought he would run, but he didn’t.

  He stood still and let me pick him up.

  I tucked the blanket around him like he was a baby. He didn’t jump out of my arms. I carried him into the living room. Dad and Ollie were playing.

  “Look, Dad,” I said softly.

  “Well, what do you know?” Dad

  said. “It looks like Buttons is feeling more safe.”

  “I think he loves my blanket,” I

  said. I sat down next to Dad. Ollie sniffed my blanket and Buttons’ paws.

  Meow.

  50

  I just sat there on the couch. I didn’t read or watch TV. I didn’t do a puzzle. I just held Buttons, wrapped in my blanket. He stayed in my lap

  until I had to get up for dinner.

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  CHAPTER 5

  The Last One

  The next day a college student

  stopped by to pick a kitten. His name was Anton. Mom told him a bit

  about the kittens we still had.

  I carried Buttons over. He was

  wrapped up in my baby blanket.

  “Buttons is very sweet,” I said. “But he’s shy.”

  53

  Anton gently rubbed Buttons’ ears.

  “I live with four other guys. We can get loud, so I’d like a bold, brave cat,”

  Anton said.

  Birdy would be the perfect kitten

  for him. I pointed to her as she

  climbed up Dad’s chair and onto the bookshelf. She pounced back onto

  Dad’s chair. Her legs and tail waved as she flew through the air.

  “Birdy is very brave. She likes to

  climb things,” I said.

  “Great! My friends and I go rock

  climbing,” Anton said. My eyes

  widened. When Anton saw my face,

  he laughed. “Don’t worry. The cat

  will stay safe indoors. I won’t take her rock climbing!”

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  After Anton left with Birdy, I looked down at Buttons. He snuggled deeper inside my blanket.

  Meow.

  “Oh, Buttons,” I said. “We need to

  find you a home.”

  After dinner a dad and his son,

  Eli, came over to pick a kitten. Buddy and Buttons were the only two

  kittens left. I really wanted Buttons to find his home next. I placed him in Eli’s arms, with the blanket. I held my breath.

  Buttons stayed in Eli’s arms! It

  worked! But when the blanket slid

  off, Buttons squirmed and twisted.

  He jumped out of Eli’s arms and

  quickly ran away.

  55

  Eli made a face like he might cry.

  His dad patted his shoulder.

  “Maybe Buddy would be a better

  fi
t,” Mom said, pointing to Buddy.

  He was rolling on the floor with a

  toy mouse.

  Eli smiled. He sat down and held

  out his hand. Buddy walked over. His tiny tongue licked the boy’s fingers.

  “I think Buddy is the right kitten

  for us,” the dad said.

  So Buddy found his forever home.

  Buttons was the only one left.

  “This is terrible. What if no one

  wants Buttons?” I asked my parents.

  “Don’t worry, Kaita. He can stay

  with us until he finds his forever

  home,” Dad said.

  57

  ***

  Two days later Mom came home

  from work with good news.

  “I think I found a home for

  Buttons,” she said. “A customer was buying a cat calendar, and I told her all about him. Her name is Leah. She seems interested in adopting him.”

  “Did you tell her how shy he is?”

  I said.

  Mom nodded. “I did. Leah has had

  cats before. If Joss thinks she would be a good fit for Buttons, we’ll have a visit tomorrow,” Mom said.

  I really hoped Leah would want to

  adopt Buttons. I wrapped up Buttons in my blanket and held him close.

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  Meow. He looked up at me and blinked. My heart melted.

  “This is my special blanket,

  Buttons,” I said. “I know you like

  it, but you have to learn to be brave without it, OK?”

  Meow.

  He batted my chin with a paw. For the first time ever, he purred.

  ***

  Leah came over the next day.

  I handed Buttons to her. He was

  wrapped in my blanket. Leah slowly

  unwrapped the blanket to get a better look at him.

  Yowl! Buttons twisted and

  squirmed out of Leah’s arms. He

  dropped to the floor and ran under

  the couch.

  I shook my head. “You probably

  won’t want him now,” I said with a

  frown.

  “Of course I want him, Kaita,”

  Leah said. “I won’t give up on him.

  I promise you.”

  60

  She got down on her hands and knees and looked under the couch.

  “Hello, Buttons,” she said. “You

  and I are going to be great friends.

  I just know it.”

  I showed Leah the flashlight trick.

  Buttons darted out and pounced on

  the light.

  “He sure has some spunk,” Leah

  said. “I like that!”

  I spread out my baby blanket, and

  Buttons climbed onto it. I wrapped

  him up and handed him to Leah.

  “You can keep the blanket,” I said.

  “Kaita, are you sure?” Dad asked

  me. “A few days ago you said you

  wanted to keep your blanket.”

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  “I know, but Buttons needs it more than I do,” I said. I knew my

  grandma would understand. It was

  time for the blanket she’d made to

  help someone else.

  “You are very kind and generous,”

  Leah said. “Thank you!”

  She put Buttons and his blanket

  in a cardboard carrier, and off they went.

  Once they’d gone I gave Ollie a

  big hug, then Mom and Dad gave me

  one.

  “You did a nice thing for Buttons,

  Kaita,” Mom said. “I’m sure you will do a great job with our next foster animal too.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said.

  63

  Fostering the kittens was hard work. It felt good, though, to know we helped all five of them find their forever homes—especially Buttons.

  I couldn’t wait to see what pet came to our house next!

  64

  Think About It!

  1. How are the five foster kittens different from one another? Include how they look and act in your answer.

  2. What kinds of tasks does the Takano family do when fostering rescued animals?

  3. Why do you think Kaita didn’t want to give up her blanket at first? Why did she change her mind?

  Draw It! Write It!

  1. Which of the five foster kittens in the story is your favorite? Draw a picture of him or her at play.

  2. Pretend you are Buttons. Write a letter to Kaita that explains what scares you and how her blanket helps you feel safe.

  Glossary

  adopt—to take and raise as one’s own bold—brave, fearless

  carrier—a box or bag that carries or holds something

  coax—to slowly and gently get someone to do something

  dachshund—a type of dog with a long body and short legs

  foster—being given care and a safe home for a short time

  generous—willing to share

  litter box—a container indoors in which a cat goes to the bathroom

  pounce—to jump forward suddenly

  A Letter for You!

  Kaita Takano, in the My Furry Foster Family series, is a fictional character .

  She is not a real person . However, she is based on a real girl who fosters animals with her family—a real-life Kaita .

  Real-Life Kaita fosters pets just like Story Kaita . She also has a miniature dachshund named Ollie . The following is a letter from Real-Life Kaita to you!

  Real-Life Kaita loves

  taking her foster animals

  to the pet store to pick

  out treats .

  Dear reader,

  Let me tell you more about my favorite dog, Ol ie!

  His full name is Oliver Spots. That’s because when we got him, he was covered in dapple spots.

  We picked him out in 2009—he’s almost as old as I am! He was the smal est puppy. He fit in the palm of my dad’s hand! The spots have faded, but he’s still adorable. His favorite thing to do is cuddle. He likes to hog all the blankets. He also likes watching TV and eating. If you don’t watch out, he’ll steal your snacks! He’s not very smart about most things, but he’s an expert at feeding himself.

  My mom likes to take photos of Ol ie every day.

  His sil y faces make us laugh! Blinking is hard for him. Sometimes he doesn’t blink with both eyes at the same time, so it looks like he’s winking.

  In winter he wears a fleece sweater and booties outside. I even have a hat for his tiny head!

  He doesn’t like it much, though.

  Happy reading!

  About the Author

  Debbi Michiko Florence writes books for children in her writing studio, The Word Nest. She is an animal lover with a degree in zoology and has worked at a pet store, the Humane Society, a raptor rehabilitation center, and a zoo. She is the author of two chapter book series: Jasmine Toguchi (FSG) and Dorothy & Toto (Picture Window Books). A third-generation Japanese American and a native Californian, Debbi now lives in Connecticut with her husband, a rescue dog, a bunny, and two ducks.

  About the Illustrator

  Melanie Demmer is an illustrator and designer based out of Los Angeles, California. Originally from Michigan, she graduated with a BFA in illustration from the College for Creative Studies and has been creating artwork for various apparel, animation, and publishing projects ever since.

  When she isn’t making art, Melanie enjoys writing, spending time in the great outdoors, iced tea, scary movies, and taking naps with her cat, Pepper.

  Go on all four fun, furry

  foster adventures!

  Only from Capstone!

  Document Outline

  CHAPTER 1

  New Furry Friends

  CHAPTER 2

  Too Shy to Play

  CHAPTER 3

  Blankets and Flashlights


  CHAPTER 4

  The First Adoptions

  CHAPTER 5

  The Last One