28/10/2026
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗨𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦
My name is Belly.
I’m the black one in the photograph.
Apparently, Dad thought Belly was an appropriate name because I’m slightly larger than the others and rather fond of my food.
I suppose I should be grateful he didn’t call me Fatso.
The other three are Spot, Cosy and Cuddle.
And together, we’re known as the Dumplings.
There’s a reason for that.
Somebody dumped us.
All four of us.
At the entrance to Parque del Molino del Agua in Torrevieja.
That’s in Spain if you didn’t know 🙄
Locals call it Govert's Park.
After Govert van de Laar, who spent fifteen years looking after the cats living there.
A legend.
However.
We were just little kittens.
Clean, friendly, well looked after. The sort of kittens who’d grown up believing that humans were rather nice creatures.
And somebody had obviously been nice to us.
Until they weren’t.
We don’t know who brought us there, or why.
Perhaps we were an unwanted litter. Perhaps the people who had been looking after us simply decided four kittens were too much trouble.
Whatever the reason, somebody took four little animals who trusted people and left them in a public park.
A park full of dogs, people and all sorts of things we’d never encountered before.
And then they walked away.
Now, if you’ve ever seen four little kittens sitting together in a public place, you’ll know what happens next.
Everybody wants to see them.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Within a couple of hours, quite a crowd had gathered.
People were talking about us, pointing at us, trying to get close.
Children wanted to catch us.
We were frightened.
So we did the only sensible thing we could think of.
We climbed the trees.
All four of us.
And there we stayed.
Somebody eventually called Dad.
We didn’t know him then.
He was just another human arriving at the park, although apparently he was in rather more of a hurry than the others.
He looked up into the trees.
Four little kittens looking back down at him.
He looked at the people.
Then he looked at the dogs.
And decided we’d had quite enough adventure for one day.
So he started collecting us.
One by one.
No great drama. No complicated rescue operation.
Just a man taking four frightened kittens out of the trees because somebody else had left them where they didn’t belong.
And then he took us home.
To Ellen’s.
Now, here’s something I didn’t know at the time.
Dad says this sort of thing happens almost every week.
Cats left in parks. Kittens abandoned near feeding colonies. Animals dumped where somebody hopes another person will find them.
And I suppose that’s what makes it so easy.
You don’t have to watch what happens afterwards.
You don’t have to see the frightened kitten hiding under a car, the dog that finds it first, or the little animal that waits for somebody who isn’t coming back.
You just drive away.
And whatever happens next becomes somebody else’s problem.
Fortunately, we became Dad’s problem.
And I must say, he’s handled it rather well.
We’re all still together.
Spot, Cosy, Cuddle and me.
We’ve got a home, friends, comfortable beds and more food than any reasonable kitten could ask for.
Although I might dispute that last bit.
Dad says we’re the most relaxed bunch of kittens he’s ever met.
He’s probably right.
We’ve discovered that life can be rather wonderful when you don’t have to worry about where you’re going to sleep or whether somebody is going to leave you behind.
And if you look at our photograph, you’ll see four very content little faces.
Well, three content faces.
I’m keeping an eye on the photographer.
You never know when somebody might produce a treat.
Anyway, that’s our story.
Four little kittens who were somebody’s responsibility.
Until suddenly, we weren’t.
And then, thanks to a stranger who answered the phone and came to find us, we were somebody’s family again.
For good this time.
Love,
Belly. 🐾
