My family includes two energetic kittens plus two always hungry hamsters. Though they’re really cute, my two little furry miniature kittens terrorise our entire house.

You wouldn’t believe how bad they are. Those scraps of feline tear up the couch and they’re forever jumping up on the kitchen counter scavenging for any scrap of food that’s been left out. If they find anything, they’ll snag it and run away - but only if they see you. If they think you're not watching them, they’ll just sit there like the cheeky little hooligans they are and eat right on the counter top!

However bad they are, though, I never have the heart to scold them. How could I? They’ve slept with me at the bottom of my bed, purring to their hearts' content. When they stretch themselves out, occupying almost three-fourths of the bed, I begin to wonder how these animals ever got this spoiled.

The hamsters are nowhere near as forgiving of the cats as I am. These two naughty kittens cause endless turmoil to the poor hamsters. The cats do nothing but sit beside the cage, prodding and poking at their furry little bodies until the indignant rodents get frustrated and scurry away.

I can understand the kittens stealing my food, but the hamsters are nothing but offended when the cats steal their lettuce. The cats will sneak up to the cage, grab a leaf and run away with the greenery flopping between their teeth. We’ve found stolen lettuce discarded in the most abnormal places – even in the dust behind the fridge.

As much as the hamsters loathe them, I still love my two kittens. The little one, Gypsy, is like a walking alarm clock. Every morning when she hears my mother calling for my brother to wake up, she runs into his room, jumps on the bed and begins to meow while nudging her face in his arm to get him up. A difficult task, indeed.

And when I walk in the house to find them both – with a mess of torn up furniture behind them – innocently looking up at me, all I can do is forgive them.

Yasmeen Magdy, age 13