Love That Cat

Love That Cat !

1 A Lovely Cat Would Be Better Than Any Toy

Hello friends! I’m Mei Ling,

A Chinese girl with long hair.

I came to Canada

With Mom, Dad and my toy bear.

Canada is beautiful.

My parents are always glad.

I miss my friends in China.

Sometimes, I feel kind of sad.

One day, after dinner,

Mom, Dad and I had a chat.

Mom told me her former friend

Would give me a little cat.

 

A real cat, a cute cat,

That could eat, meow and purr.

We could play together.

I could hold and pet her.

 

I was so excited

That I jumped up with joy.

A lovely cat would be

Better than any toy.

Finally, she arrived,

A cat of white and black.

In the pet carrier,

She shyly shrank back.

“Hi, cute little kitten,”

I gently, gently said.

In her round shiny eyes,

I saw a lot of dread.

I looked at the new cat,

While lying on the floor.

She looked like the old cat

My grandma had before.

When I was in China,

My grandma had a cat

That was beautiful, smart

And a little bit fat.

That cat’s name was Mimi.

I missed her everyday.

Now, here in Canada,

I had my own cat, hooray!

I named the new cat Mimi.

She’d be my best friend, I knew.

We’d happily play together.

I’d be her best friend, too!

The Canadian cat

Looked so funny to me.

Her nose was black and white.

She was a clown, wasn’t she?

One of her legs was black

And three of them were white.

My dad joked with Mimi.

He’s such a delight.

 

“What a sweet little cat!

Maybe you were born at night.

Your mom put your socks on wrong

Because there was no light.”

 

I opened the carrier.

I bowed, “Mimi, please come out.”

Moving her body a bit,

She seemed to be in doubt.

 

Sticking her little head out,

Mimi looked from left to right.

She walked out of the carrier

And then quickly ran out of sight.

Where was the adorable cat?

I searched for her everywhere.

Mimi was good at hide-and-seek.

I couldn’t find her anywhere.

 

2 Today, I Was Very Important

During the very first day,

I didn’t see my new cat.

Was she hungry or thirsty?

I was worried about that.

 

During the second day,

Did Mimi eat or not?

She didn’t eat a bit

But she drank a whole lot.

 

When the third day was dark,

She cautiously came out.

She ate a bit of cat food

And quietly walked about.

When the fourth day was bright,

She began to explore.

I happily followed her,

Opening each room’s door.

 

I opened each closet wide,

Even each drawer for her.

Mimi sniffed everywhere and

Finally let me stroke her fur.

 

My family was eating lunch.

We were all in a good mood.

Mimi jumped up on my lap.

She wanted to eat my food.

 

Kittens can’t eat people’s food.

I learned that from a book.

Some seasonings harmful to them

Are in what we often cook.

I went to Mimi’s plate and

Took some cat food, with a smile.

I pretended to eat it.

She stared at me for a while.

 

“Mimi, your food is yummy.

I eat the same thing as you.”

Looking at me doubtfully,

She wondered if it was true.

Mimi went to her plate.

Slowly, she paused for thought.

Then, gulping and slurping,

She ate her food, a lot.

 

My mom was very happy

And gave Mimi a cat treat.

She swiftly ate it and then

Lay down beside my feet.

She began to lick her paw

And carefully wipe her face.

What a clean little kitten!

Mimi has natural grace.

A few minutes later,

Mimi did something bad.

She began to scratch my chair.

Mom was a little bit mad.

 

“Stop, Mimi. You’re so naughty,”

My mom seriously said.

Mimi suddenly stopped

And quickly raised her head.

 

Shyly and innocently,

Her big furry tail shook.

Did I do something wrong?

She gave a confused look.

I was sharpening my nails.

Why was my mom so upset?

How do I use nail clippers?

Mei Ling hasn’t taught me yet.

 

My eyes suddenly lit up.

I was excited a bit.

We just bought a doormat

With the word “Welcome” on it.

I carefully put Mimi

On the brand new welcome mat.

Today, I was important —

The smart teacher of my cat.

 

Pointing to each letter,

I said and held her paw,

“W, E, L, C, O, M, E, welcome.”

My student, Mimi learned with awe.

Holding her little paw,

I taught her to scratch on the mat.

She learned it! She learned it!

What a smart little cat!

 

Mimi scratched very hard.

I cheerfully said to her,

“You are welcome, Mimi.”

She purred a happy purr.

3 Only Two Small Weaknesses

Mimi had only two weaknesses,

Which were both very, very small.

… … …

… … …

6 What A Wonderful World!

I’m a curious young girl.

I like to look around.

What a wonderful world!

New things, I often found!

 

Mom, Dad and I were having tea.

My cat, Mimi, slept beside me.

I proudly told my parents

My newest discovery.

 

“Chinese and Canadian people

Look different, you all know.”

I sipped a bit of green tea,

“But their cats look the same, though.”

“They all speak the same language;

Meow, meow, meow,” Dad smiled.

“So they don’t need ESL like me,”

Mom said this like a shy child.

My dad and I both laughed.

Mimi woke up beside me.

She curiously looked around.

Mei Ling, what’s so funny?

 

Mimi stretched her body long.

Then she jumped up on my thigh.

“Are you my best friend, Mimi?”

She licked my hand as a reply.

 

I don’t often miss China

And cry like I did before.

I have a good friend, Mimi.

I don’t feel lonely anymore.

 

I began to like Canada.

I still like China very much too.

I have two homes, one in China,

One in Canada, it’s true!

At this very moment,

Mimi woke up from a nap.

I was writing this story,

With Mimi on my lap.

 

Thanks for reading my story.

You are my dearest friend,

Typed by Mimi with my help.

­­­­ ~The End~

ESL: English as a Second Language.

The course is for non-native English speakers.

Mar 23, 08, 新版本