Once upon a time in the Land of Abandoned Cats there lived a kitten that was patiently waiting for a home. Unfortunately there was not a great demand for plain, solid black, skinny little kittens. As each day passed he grew more and more discouraged. Sadly he lay down, put his paws over his eyes and he began to cry.

At the same time in the Land of Cotton there lived a quilter without a cat. "I wish I had a cat" she sighed. "I will just have to make do". So she cut out nine little cats in a rainbow of plaids. She carefully sewed the cats, outlining each with a blanket stitch. "I have eight cats finished" she said happily " But I am so tired, I will finish the last one tomorrow."

It so happened that it was the twilight before Spring, a magical time for all that create and dream. And as Quilter lay down to sleep, she wished she had a real cat.

Midnight came and the plaid cats came to life. The 8 finished cats said to the little plaid cat " Hurry! Hurry! Go to the Land of Abandoned Cats. Go and bring back a kitten for Quilter. You will have to go alone, we cannot move, we are already stitched. You will have to hurry, you have to be back before dawn!"

Quickly the little plaid cat ran as fast as her little cotton legs could carry her. She ran till she came to the Land of Abandoned Cats. " Wake up little black kitten, wake up! I am here to take you to the Land of Cotton, Quilter needs a cat" the little plaid cat said breathlessly. "Oh yes! At last, I will have a home!" cried the little black kitten.

Swiftly they ran towards the Land of Cotton. Daybreak was near and the little plaid cat said "You must hurry and arrive before sunrise, go little black kitten, go on without me. I am so tired, I can run no farther".

"Oh I cannot leave you, I cannot abandon you!" said the little black kitten. He gently picked up the little plaid cat in his mouth and together they ran towards Quilter’s house.

In the morning Quilter opened her door to welcome Spring and found the little black kitten curled up asleep on the step. As she lifted him up she found the little piece of plaid cotton. "Now how did this get out here?" she murmured with much puzzlement. "And how did you get here, little black kitten? You are the sweetest little kitten I ever did see". She held him close, rubbed her face in his fur and together they went in to fix a cup of tea.

Time passed happily for the Quilter and the Cat. The little black kitten grew up to be a very handsome, very grateful, big Cat. The little cat quilt was finished and displayed proudly on the wall. And if you look closely you will see that there is one little plaid cat that is a little bit tattered, a little bit frayed and has a few peculiar holes in it.

The Quilter remains a little perplexed about the events of that Spring morning, but smiles happily remembering the special day.

The big black Cat stretches out on the sewing table, gazing at his secret pal. As his tail begins to twitch up and down, he squeezes his eyes shut and he begins to purr.