# Tom Kitten — Short Fiction character guide

> Tom Kitten in Short Fiction by Beatrix Potter.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Tom, Thomas

**First appearance:** 0010-the-tale-of-tom-kitten

## Snapshot

A curious kitten whose tumble down an attic hole lands him in the clutches of two rats with a rolling-pin and a dreadful recipe in mind.

## Who they are

Tom is the bold, disobedient kitten of Tabitha Twitchit, forever scrambling into places he shouldn't be while his sisters stay neatly buttoned and beribboned. His fall through the attic floor delivers him to Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria, who truss him up and debate breadcrumbs versus butter with terrifying calm. His helpless wriggling under the floorboards—mewing through a mouthful of soot—drives the story's central peril and makes every reader root for a kitten who simply wanted to explore.

## In the story

### [The Tale of Tom Kitten](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se/chapters/the-tale-of-tom-kitten)

The naughty, fat kitten who bursts his buttons and loses his clothes on the garden wall.

### [The Tale of Samuel Whiskers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se/chapters/the-tale-of-samuel-whiskers)

Hides in the chimney to avoid being shut up, then falls into a rat's nest and is captured by Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se/characters/tom_kitten
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se/characters