Barnie, the black cat, goes everywhere with Sonia. Upstairs and down, in and out of the garden; and every night he sleeps on Sonia's bed. One day he isn't there, and dad must tell Sonia that there has been an accident with a car. At first she refuses to believe it and whispers the news to the cat next door 'because she was afraid that saying it out loud would make it true'. She cries a lot, and then last thing at night she takes a torch into the garden to see if he has come back. The next morning a hedgehog has found the saucer of milk she left for Barnie, and Sonia must accept that he won't return. That afternoon there is a funeral. The neighbours come, and Barnie is buried 'under the blackberries, in between the roses'. Later, Sonia's parents get her a new kitten, but there will always be a special place for Barnie. Smashing illustrations.