The Tobermory Cat (3 page)

He decided to ask his friends for advice.

‘Show me,’ he miaowed. How do I become special cat?’

His friends stared at him. The little dog laughed.

The cow blinked. The dish nudged the spoon and said, ‘You are special already. Just be yourself.’

The ginger tom sighed. Nobody understood.

It seemed that nobody could help him become special.

He might as well just give up trying.

With little enthusiasm, he caught mice,

ate fish,

gazed at the clouds,

and bored himself to sleep.

The next day, there was a huge traffic jam in Tobermory.

Cars, bikes, vans and even the school bus ground to a standstill on Main Street.

Right in the middle of the road lay the ginger cat, fast asleep.

Everyone wanted a photograph of him. Everyone had heard of him.

It was only a matter of time before the ginger cat’s fame spread further afield. From twig, to leaf, to nest, to telegraph pole, by mouth, by mail, by phone, by email, soon
the whole island, then the mainland, and then the entire planet was a-twitter with the news of the amazing Cat of Tobermory.

Not everyone was delighted with the news.

‘I’m sure his fur is nothing special,’ said the famously woolly Ba-Ba Cats.

‘
A
Tobermory
Cat?
Where’s the music in that?’ sang the Staffa Cat Choir,