We were four happy boys living our best life with our lovely human mummy. She loved us so much and one day she moved us all to another place where we could get outside and have more freedom. It was obvious to us she wanted to spend more time with us and seemed to be at home all the time now. We loved that, because she was our human and we were a happy family.

She settled us in our new home and sat with us every night, laughed at our brotherly squabbles and told us we were her ‘good boys’ and stroked our ears and tickle us in the places we liked, just like every good mummy would do.

A little time past and it started to feel like home again and mummy was home and here to take care of our every whim. But she did seem tired sometimes, but we would all snuggle on the sofa and watch the TV and nod off together. It was the best of times. We were so very happy.

Then one day she seemed to be very tired and was holding herself as if she was in pain, she didn’t smell quite right to us sometimes and we howled and rubbed round her, ‘what’s the matter mummy?’ but she just stroked us and tried to assure us not to worry.

Then one day she went out, she seemed anxious, we could feel, what was it, her fear? She looked at us all and stroked our heads and went out for most of the day, it was dark when she returned. She got our tea as usual and sat downs and we all clamoured around her, wanting her attention and the best position on the sofa next to her. She smelt more weird we noticed, like something was growing, something that was wrong.

Then she did something that scared us, she whole body shook and she breathed in so deeply and let out a howl of anguish and struggled to breathe, we had never heard anything like that from her before, we were scared, what was wrong with mummy? We started to howl too, her eyes were puffy and water was running from her eyes and splashing down.

She looked at us and reached out and stroked our heads and calmed herself, she could see she was distressing us and she was , but we were very worried about her, she had never been like this before and something about her smelt funny, we increasingly sensed this vague strange smell, like when we go to the vets, but different, something like that sterile, but something else too.

Then her children came along at separate time over the next few days and she was on the phone a lot and there were more tears her children were also crying, not so much the boy ones, they just looked at their feet and stayed quiet. They all stroked us, and one told us to be good boys and then finally mummy packed a bag, knelt down and fussed us all in turn until her eyes were running with tears again and then left with one of them.

We have not seen mummy since that day. Some people we had met before came and looked after us, they were nice, but we wanted out mummy. Several days passed and still she did not come home. Then about 9 moons later another lady we had never seen came and they all put us into separate carriers, had we been bad? were we going to the vets? We howled and howled, the smells were all wrong, smelled like lots of different animals, none we knew.

We were taken to a car and then went on a very long journey. We were terrified and Panther just cried all the way. He was always the cry baby and wanted his mummy and Toulous wasn’t much better, but he Berlious and myself stayed quiet and just settled down for the many hours we were driving.

The lady who was with us would speak to us and she had a tone in her voice that reassured us, but she was as stranger, and she was not our mummy. Our hearts ache for our mummy, and we miss her love and care and assurance.

We finally arrived somewhere and were put into a place, all clean, and white. It was warm and food and water and things to climb on and look at, including a wheel that we knew about was there. But no mummy, was mummy coming? Was this out new home? It was a bit small, but we wouldn’t mind if we could have our mummy. There was a coat belonging to our mummy with all the things they brought with us, so we could still smell her. Maybe that meant she would be joining us soon?

Another 7 moons have passed now or more now and still she has not come. Panther cried for days and Toulous has been withdrawn. I tried to stay positive and have been nice to the strange humans that look after me and my brothers. Maybe this is just a holiday and she will be back soon, everyone is being very nice to us, but they often talk in hushed tones and look sad when they look back at us.

I hope it’s just a holiday, and she will be back, but they way she smelled before she went away with her children, I think we all know the truth really, I think we all know she was not well and I am very worried that she cannot come back, we just don’t want think about it, I hope I’m wrong, I hope it’s just a holiday and tomorrow she will come through the door and take us back home where we can all be a family again. I hope I’m wrong, I hope I’m wrong ………she’ll be back for us soon won’t she?