Cuddles
By Arnie Lightning
Arnie Lightning Books
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Copyright © 2015 by Hey Sup Bye Publishing
All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. No part of this book or this book as a whole may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or means without written permission from the publisher.
Graphics used in this book are licensed and © Dollar Photo Club
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Table of Contents
Free Gift!
Cuddles Finds a Home
The Kitty-Cat Sleepover
Cuddles and His Claws
No Milk For Cuddles!
Cuddles the Lonely Kitty-Cat
Can you help Cuddles?
Maze Solution
About the Author
FREE GIFT!
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Click the link above to instantly download a free eBook! “It’s Okay to Be Different” is a beautifully illustrated story about accepting and celebrating others for their differences. It’s a great way to teach children to appreciate and accept others for who they are. Enjoy!
Cuddles Finds a Home
There once was a little girl named Jasmine who wanted a kitten very badly. Every year, she begged her parents to get her one for her birthday, but they always said that Jasmine wasn’t old enough yet to be responsible for a pet.
Now that Jasmine was about to turn seven, she knew what her parents’ answer would be when she asked them for a kitten—but she still had to ask! “Mom, Dad,” begged Jasmine, “could I please have a kitten for my birthday this year?”
And what do you know? To Jasmine’s complete shock and surprise, her parents smiled at each other, then told her, “You’ve grown up a lot over the past year, Jasmine. You’ve taken good care of your things and proven to be a very responsible little girl. We think you’re ready to handle being a pet owner.”
Jasmine couldn’t believe her ears! She jumped for joy, and then she threw her arms around her mother and her father.
On Jasmine’s birthday, her parents took her on a special outing to the local animal shelter. A shelter worker showed them where the kittens were.
“Oh!” gasped Jasmine. “They’re so cute! And there are so many to choose from!” How would she ever be able to pick just one to be her very own pet?
The shelter worker let Jasmine play with the kittens for a while so that she could get to know them. It wasn’t long before a little gray tiger-striped kitten caught Jasmine’s attention. He was lively and active, and he kept scurrying over Jasmine’s lap, chasing a ball of yellow yarn that the other kittens were playing with.
Finally, the gray kitten managed to capture the ball of yarn. He rolled it proudly over to Jasmine, as if he were giving her a gift. Then he stretched, meowed, and curled up on Jasmine’s lap.
Beaming, Jasmine looked up at her parents and the shelter worker. “This is the one!” she cried. “This is my birthday kitten!”
The gray kitten seemed to know what Jasmine was saying. As she lifted him into her arms, he snuggled contentedly against her chest.
Jasmine’s mother smiled at her. “Looks like you made the right choice,” she told Jasmine. “That little guy’s quite a cuddler, isn’t he?”
“Yes!” agreed Jasmine. “And that gives me a great idea: I’m going to name my brand-new kitten Cuddles!”
“Cuddles it is!” agreed Jasmine’s father.
Then Jasmine noticed that Cuddles was staring at something on the floor. When she realized what it was, she asked the shelter worker, “Would it be all right if I took that yellow ball of yarn home, too? Cuddles really seems to like it.”
The shelter worker laughed kindly and placed the yarn in Jasmine’s free hand. “Happy birthday, Jasmine,” she said.
“Happy birthday, Jasmine,” echoed Jasmine’s parents.
Jasmine smiled down at Cuddles, who was purring happily in her arms. “It sure is!” she agreed.
Just for Fun Activity
If you asked Jasmine, she’d surely say that Cuddles was the best gift she’s ever gotten. Write a short story about your own favorite gift. Who gave it to you? How did you feel when you got it? Why was it your favorite present? Ask an adult to help you out, and don’t forget to add illustrations!
The Kitty-Cat Sleepover
Jasmine was so excited to have a brand-new kitten. As soon as she got Cuddles for her birthday, she took him straight home and started to play with him. Cuddles played for a while—but then he got sleepy. He stretched and yawned and went off by himself to curl up in his cat bed.
“Oh, well,” thought Jasmine. “This has been a big day for Cuddles. He’s probably worn out from all the excitement.” So she let Cuddles rest, confident that he would have plenty of energy to play with her tomorrow.
But the next day, Cuddles acted the same way: At first, he played with Jasmine, chasing his catnip mouse and favorite ball of yellow yarn. But then he got sleepy. This time, he went under the couch and settled down there to take a nap.
After this had happened for several more days, Jasmine asked her mother about it. “I’m worried about Cuddles,” she said. “He gets so tired in the afternoons. He’d rather take a nap than play with me. Do you think he’s all right?”
Jasmine’s mother smiled. “I know he’s all right,” she said, making Jasmine feel instantly better. “There are a couple of good reasons for the way Cuddles acts. First, he’s just a baby, and babies—whether they’re humans or cats—need plenty of rest in order to grow up strong and healthy.”
Jasmine thought about this. She remembered taking naps when she was little. It made sense. “What’s the other reason?” she asked.
“The other reason is that cats are nocturnal. That means they’re more active at night than they are during the day. Cats who live with people usually adjust somewhat to the people’s schedule—like Cuddles has—but they still prefer the nighttime.”
“I didn’t know that!” Jasmine gasped. “Do you mean that, while you and Dad and I are sleeping, Cuddles is awake, having adventures around the house?” It sounded so exciting.
“That’s exactly what I mean.” Jasmine’s mother bopped her playfully on the head.
“Cool!” cried Jasmine. “I wish Cuddles and I could have a nighttime adventure together!”
Her mother grinned mysteriously. “I think I could arrange that…”
Two nights later, it was Friday. Since Jasmine didn’t have school the next day, her parents had agreed to let her have a sleepover party. But, instead of inviting any friends over, Jasmine was going to have a sleepover with Cuddles!
She spread her sleeping bag on the family room floor. Then she and Cuddles stayed up very late. They watched a movie together, while Cuddles played with his cat toys on the floor. Then Cuddles showed Jasmine how he leapt and jumped on furniture in the dark when no one was around to stop him. Jasmine giggled.
Cuddles also showed Jasmine the secret hiding places where he kept his favorite ball of yarn and his catnip mouse. He had even hidden some cat food under the big chair in the living room!
“Wow,” said Jasmine. “You have all kinds of fun while the rest of us are sleeping, don’t you, Cuddles?”
Cuddles purred and rolled the ball of yarn over to Jasmine. He wanted to play.
But suddenly, Jasmine was very tired. “Now I know how you felt all those afternoons when I wanted to pay and you were sleepy!” she told her pet.
So Jasmine curled up in her sleeping bag and fell fast asleep.
But Cuddles didn’t so much as yawn until the first rays of morning light slanted through the family room windows.
Cuddles and His Claws
Jasmine’s kitten, Cuddles, was growing up fast. Jasmine couldn’t believe how big he was getting! Now that he was older, he had more energy than ever before.
Cuddles was usually a pretty good cat, and he did his best to please Jasmine and her family. In fact, Cuddles was not much of a problem at all—until the day he discovered his claws!
It all began one afternoon when Jasmine came home from a friend’s house. She had left Cuddles in her room, so she hurried to check in on him. When she opened the door, she let out a horrified gasp. Her very favorite pillow, the bright-orange one shaped like a giant butterfly, had been ripped to shreds! Cotton stuffing was scattered all across the floor!
Cuddles was sprawled out in the midst of all the stuffing, batting it around with his paws. He liked the way the breeze from the ceiling fan made it float through the air.
But Jasmine did not. “Cuddles!” she cried. “You destroyed my favorite pillow!” Sadly, Jasmine picked up what was left of the orange butterfly. Cuddles’ claws had slashed right through the soft material.
Cuddles looked up in surprise. Jasmine sounded sad. He didn’t like it when she was sad. Feeling bad for her, he jumped to his feet and curled around her ankles.
But Jasmine brushed him away. “Out, Cuddles,” she said, and she set him down in the hallway outside her room.
Poor Cuddles didn’t understand what he had done to make Jasmine so upset. Over the next few days, he managed to make the whole family upset. Jasmine’s mother shrieked when she saw that Cuddles had ruined one of the couch cushions. Her father yelled when he realized that Cuddles had slashed up his favorite pair of slippers.
Cuddles finally caught on to the fact that he wasn’t supposed to use his claws at all. But he loved using his claws! He wanted to please his family more, though, so he was a very good kitten after that, and Jasmine and her parents appreciated him for it.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you about wrecking my pillow,” Jasmine told Cuddles one day. “I know you like to use your claws, but you can’t use them just anywhere.” She kissed the top of Cuddles’ head.
Cuddles gave a kitty-cat sigh. He understood Jasmine perfectly. As much as he wanted to use his claws, he would never be able to again. He would just have to accept that.
But the very next day, Jasmine said, “I have a surprise for you, Cuddles!” Then she carried Cuddles into the family room, where a large object was draped with a sheet.
Jasmine pulled the sheet away to reveal a tall scratching post with several different platforms for Cuddles to climb on! “Ta-da!” cried Jasmine.
Cuddles couldn’t believe his eyes. The scratching post was covered with something like carpet. It felt wonderful to his claws. Now he could scratch to his heart’s content—without making anybody angry!
“Meow!” Cuddles exclaimed delightedly. He wrapped himself around Jasmine’s ankles to thank her, then rushed off to have fun with his claws for the rest of the afternoon!
No Milk For Cuddles!
It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, and Cuddles the kitten was curled on the couch with his owner, Jasmine, who was reading him a story.
Today, Jasmine was reading from a book called Cat Tales. Cuddles looked at the pictures as Jasmine turned the pages. One picture especially caught his interest. It showed an orange kitten lapping milk from a bowl. Cuddles had seen Jasmine drink milk plenty of times, but he’d never had milk himself.
“Meow!” he cried, pawing the picture.
Jasmine guessed what Cuddles was thinking. “I know you’d probably like to have some milk,” she told her pet. “Back when this book was written, people didn’t know that milk was not a healthy choice for cats. Mom and Dad say that feeding you milk would give you a tummy-ache. You don’t want a tummy-ache, do you, Cuddles?”
Cuddles knew that Jasmine was telling him why milk was not good for him. But he didn’t care. The milk in the picture looked so creamy and delicious. Surely just a little bit wouldn’t hurt! If Jasmine wouldn’t give it to him, then Cuddles was going to have to come up with another way of drinking some yummy milk.
Unfortunately, Cuddles had no idea how to open that big white box that Jasmine and her family called the refrigerator. He knew the milk was kept in there, but that information didn’t do him any good if he couldn’t get to it! For the next week or so, Cuddles watched closely as Jasmine and her parents ate their meals in the kitchen.
Finally, one morning, Cuddles got his chance. Jasmine was about to be late for school, so she didn’t have time to finish her breakfast. She took her bagel from her plate and hurried out the door after her mother, eating as she went.
As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Cuddles did a happy dance across the kitchen floor. Jasmine had left half a glass of milk on the table! Cuddles leapt onto Jasmine’s chair, then onto the tabletop. He happily slurped up every last drop of Jasmine’s milk through the bright-red straw she’d been using.
The milk was even more delicious than Cuddles had imagined! He could hardly wait to have some more. Jasmine had obviously been mistaken when she told Cuddles that milk wasn’t good for him! Feeling very pleased with himself, Cuddles curled up on the couch for his morning nap.
When Cuddles woke up from his nap, he had the most terrible tummy-ache! He knew right away that he should have listened to Jasmine. No matter how wonderful the milk had tasted, it wasn’t worth this!
By the time Jasmine got home from school that afternoon, her mother had figured out what had happened to the rest of the milk. Poor Cuddles still wasn’t feeling any better.
“Oh, Cuddles!” Jasmine cried, scooping up her pet. “I told you that milk was bad for you. You should’ve listened.” She sat on the couch and rocked Cuddles in her arms until he fell asleep.
After waking up from that nap, Cuddles felt a lot better. And he had finally learned his lesson: no milk for Cuddles!
Just for Fun Activity
Ask an adult to help you make this fun milk drink! Mix marshmallow ice-cream topping with whipped cream and put the mixture in the bottom of a glass. Freeze the glass for thirty minutes, then pour chocolate milk on top and sip through a straw! Yum, yum!
Cuddles the Lonely Kitty-Cat
Cuddles the cat loved living with Jasmine and her family. Jasmine was his favorite person in the world, and he looked forward to spending time with her every afternoon when she came home from school.
When the school year ended and Jasmine got three whole months off for the summer, Cuddles was thrilled. He loved the fact that Jasmine was around all day long to play with. The two of them had so much fun, and Cuddles hoped the summer never ended.
But one morning in July, Cuddles noticed that something strange was going on. Jasmine and her family were carrying suitcases outside and loading them into one of the family cars.
“Meow?” Cuddles asked curiously as Jasmine walked past him with a backpack on her back.
“Oh, Cuddles.” Jasmine stooped down to pet him on the head. “I didn’t tell you, did I? Mom and Dad and I are taking a vacation trip. We’re driving up to Uncle Josh’s summer house in the mountains to spend a few weeks. I’d bring you with, except my cousin Vanessa is allergic to cats. But don’t worry. Mrs. Gardner, the next-door neighbor, is going to come over every day to feed you and make sure you’re all right. She has three cats of her own, so she knows what she’s doing.”
Cuddles understood enough human-speak to know that Jasmine was leaving him. No! It couldn’t be! He watched in disbelief as she and her family finished packing the car. Then Jasmine came back inside to hug Cuddles and wish him a final goodbye.
Cuddles stood at t
he living room window until the car was out of sight. He meowed sadly to himself, and then curled up to take a nap. He wondered miserably if he would ever see Jasmine again.
Cuddles was so sad, he tried to sleep as much as possible. When he was asleep, he could dream about Jasmine and her parents and forget about the fact that they had left him.
The next afternoon, Cuddles heard a key in the door. He started to feel excited. Maybe Jasmine was back! But it was only Mrs. Gardner. She was a sweet older lady, and she talked kindly to Cuddles as she dished out his cat food and gave him fresh water. But Cuddles ignored her. She wasn’t the person Cuddles wanted to see; Jasmine was!
Days passed, and then a week, then another week, and finally Jasmine and her family had been gone nearly three weeks. The longer they were gone, the surer Cuddles felt that he would never see them again. He was used to Mrs. Gardner by now, and he thought she was better than nothing. But Cuddles’ heart was still broken. He’d give anything to see Jasmine again!
One evening, when Cuddles had just about given up hope, he heard a key in the door again. Mrs. Gardner had already been over that day, but maybe she’d forgotten something.
Then a familiar voice cried, “Cuddles!”
Cuddles couldn’t believe his ears! Jasmine was home! She hadn’t deserted him, after all! Cuddles was overjoyed, but he was also angry at Jasmine for making him worry.
It didn’t take him long to come around, though. The moment he saw Jasmine’s smiling face, Cuddles darted out from behind the couch and wrapped himself around her ankles.
That night, he lay beside Jasmine in her bed, purring contentedly as she rubbed his tummy. Cuddles closed his eyes, stretched, and gave a kitty-cat smile. How wonderful it was to have his favorite person back!
Can you help Cuddles?
Maze Solution
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About the Author
Arnie Lightning is a dreamer. He believes that everyone should dream big and not be afraid to take chances to make their dreams come true. Arnie enjoys writing, reading, doodling, and traveling. In his free time, he likes to play video games and run. Arnie lives in Mississippi where he graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS.