Lara The Runaway Cat: One cat’s journey to discover home is where the heart is
Lara the Runaway Cat tells the story of Gobi, the loveable pub who followed Dion Leonard across a gruelling 155-mile trek across the Gobi Desert, and her mischievous cat sister, Lara, who runs away from her family, seeking a courageous adventure and different life.Lara doesn’t realise how good she has it in her home in Edinburgh with her owners, Dion and Lucja, and of course her sister, Gobi. If she’s being honest, she’s jealous of Gobi’s fame and the international attention she has received ever since Dion found her. Okay, Gobi may have survived an ultra-marathon across the Gobi Desert, but it’s not as if Lara doesn’t earn her fresh prawns! She dreams about the day when she can go outdoors and see the world, discover new friends and be free to make her own name.But Lara’s wishful thinking gets the better of her as she takes a leap into the unknown and is forced to decide between her loyalties to her family and need to experience an adventure to rival Gobi’s. Join Lara in her eventful travels from Edinburgh to France, Beijing to Australia, where she is faced with challenges that will change her life forever.Following on from the astounding real-life story of Dion Leonard, this fictionalised tale is a must-read for animal lovers everywhere.
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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019
FIRST EDITION
© Dion Leonard 2019
Cover layout design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers
Cover photographs © Shutterstock.com
A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
Dion Leonard asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Source ISBN: 9780008316181
Ebook Edition © February 2019 ISBN: 9780008316280
Version: 2019-01-09
This book is dedicated to cats and their human slaves all around the world.
Contents
Humans are fickle. And easily led. At least, that’s my experience.
Picture, if you will, a perfect specimen of cat-kind. A beautiful Ragdoll cat, with dark face and paws and fluffy white fur all over. An intelligent, stylish cat who looks after your house, keeps your knees warm at night, has refined tastes, hardly ever wanders or gets lost, and generally adds a sense of elegance to your life.
That’s me: Lara.
Now, picture a stray dog, picked up in the Chinese desert, with ears that point almost directly outwards for goodness’ sake, who scampers along with you, wins her way into your heart then manages to get completely lost, resulting in you having to go back to China to search for her. Then imagine that you want to bring the dog home to Britain with you, but that means you have to live in another country away from your perfect cat – and your wife, actually – for months on end because of some rules about animal travel. Basically, imagine a scruffy dog that causes all sorts of trouble by having adventures.
That’s Gobi. My new sister pet, ever since Dad arrived home with her, 18 months ago.
I mean, really! Which would you prefer? It’s an easy choice, right?
Apparently not so easy as you’d think.
Ever since Dad brought Gobi into our lives it has been constant chaos.
I don’t like chaos, I like prawns for supper and quiet, predictable days.
Before Gobi came, all of my days were quiet and predictable. Ever since Mum and Dad brought me home as a kitten, from where I was born in Lancashire, more than 10 years ago now, my days have followed a pattern. Breakfast, cuddles, watching the world go by through the window, lunch, nap, play, more world-watching at my window, dinner, helping Dad watch TV by offering a constant commentary, supper, then sleep. And maybe middle-of-the-night snuggles if I felt them necessary (whatever Mum and Dad’s feelings on the subject).
There was the odd bit of variety, I suppose, but all of it familiar. Comfortable.
For instance, sometimes, if I was feeling energetic, for a while I might chase a ball or my catnip toy – elegantly, of course – or a moth. And if I felt the need for an adventure, it was easy to follow Mum and Dad into the garden to smell the flowers and chew the grass.
In fact, the biggest adventure I ever had was the time I hid under the house (because squeezing into small places is fun, right?). I thought it was a game, but apparently it took Mum and Dad a while to catch on. Even then, it turns out they’re rubbish at hide and seek because they could not find me. I could hear them calling, but they never even got anywhere close.
(Then I discovered – too late – that I was a bit stuck, and I had to meow really loudly to call them to me. It was dark and cold and I was hungry and lonely. I do not recommend it as a fun game for all the family.)
The point is, I never even dreamed about going any further than under the house. Why would I need to, when everything I wanted was right here at home?
But that was before Gobi.
The thing about Gobi is, everyone thinks she’s fantastic. Special. A miracle of dog-kind.
(I think it’s because of the book all about her. People think if you’ve had a book written about you, you’re important. But of course, Dad wrote that book, not Gobi. If Gobi had actually written the book, maybe I’d have been more impressed.)
I’m not denying that Gobi has led a more varied life – more adventures, more trouble, more chaos.
