Mittens

"Okay. If you four lead the foxes here, Rascal and I will organize the rest of the group to lead them into the traps."

— Mittens about the foxes in Fog's old home in Tigerheart's Shadow, chapter 25

Mittens
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.
Affiliations
Current:	The guardian cats
Names
Guardian cat:	Mittens
Book appearances
Living	Tigerheart's Shadow
Living	Tigerheart's Shadow

Mittens is a tabby tom.

History

In The Broken Code arc

The Silent Thaw

When Antfur suffers a bout of amnesia, he accidentally calls out Mittens' name in front of Shadowsight, believing him to be his fellow guardian cat. After Antfur wakes up, he is determined to go on patrol again. Shadowsight is worried about this, and explains to Puddleshine that the tom called him Mittens earlier. The splotched brown tom is not concerned and affirms that he will be fine, which makes Antfur happy. However, the latter says he is going to see a shrew nest with Mittens, to the concern of everyone in the medicine cat den, but he quickly corrects himself.

In the Super Editions

Tigerheart's Shadow

Blaze is following Spire around, pestering him about whether he is hungry or not. Fierce affectionately tells the kit to go ask Mittens if he will help him hunt. Blaze says okay, catching up to Spire and nudging him towards the tabby tom.

Tigerheart gathers the guardian cats in a circle, intending to teach them to fight. Mittens and Rascal sit together and exchange glances, eyeing the Clan cat with interest. Tigerheart thinks that they both are best known for their hunting skills. Eventually though, both Mittens and Rascal agree to fight, agreeing that there will always be threats around for them to deal with. Tigerheart instructs them on how to perform some basic moves, and soon the guardian cats improving their skills. After they are done, Fierce says that with a little more training, they should be able to drive out the foxes. Rascal narrows his eyes thoughtfully, questioning how the guardian cats will ensure that the foxes do not come back. Mittens agrees with the tabby tom, mentioning that fighting for herbs each time they need them would not be good for the group. Tigerheart blinks in surprise before quickly explaining that filling the den with rocks will make the foxes go away because they are too lazy to dig it again. Fierce then pads around the cavern, meowing that they had better get back to training so that the foxes can be gone as soon as possible.

The following day, the guardian cats launch their plan to drive the foxes out. Mittens and Rascal leap out from their hiding places, attacking the vixen. Dotty comes from behind them, biting the fox's tail. Mittens and Rascal deftly attack on both sides of the red-pelted creature's flank with Tigerheart slashing his claws across its muzzle. Shrieking in terror, both foxes flee the herb patch. Mittens stands with Dotty and Rascal, all three congratulating each other. The guardian cats then fill up the fox den so that they would not come back. Tigerheart is exhausted by the time they are done, remembering that Mittens and Rascal had left early to hunt. The pair walk through the entrance as he thinks this, mice dangling from their jaws. They jump from the ledge and walk across the cavern, stopping where the cats are celebrating their victory against the foxes. Mittens and Rascal drop their catch, informing the group that Boots and Bracken should be back with more prey. Fierce thanks them, continuing to wash her paws.

Later, Mittens is seen leading Blaze and Pipsqueak out through the entrance. He also goes scavenging with Fierce, Cobweb, and Tigerheart. The dark tabby tom is annoyed with them when they take a long water break, thinking about how much he wishes there was real prey to catch in the city. The group then goes over to some scrap cans, and Mittens helps Cobweb sort through some litter near the bottom. He is surprised to see Tigerheart has found some meat scraps, mentioning that Dotty will like it because it is easy to chew. The guardian cats get confronted when they go back to their stash, guarded by Cinnamon. Mittens and Cobweb watch with wide eyes as Tigerheart growls at the strays batting at the brown tabby she-cat. On a different outing, Mittens and Rascal find two sick cats while they are out scavenging. Tigerheart tells Lightkit that the guardian cats brought them back here so the medicine cats could look at them.

On the day of the outdoor gathering, Fierce, Cobweb, Ant, Mittens, Rascal, and Dotty prepare for their special patrol. Tigerheart joins them, recalling what the guardian cats had told him about this Twoleg gathering where they could gather meat from under ledges. They leave the cavern, Mittens squeezing outside alongside Rascal. They arrive, and the outdoor gathering starts shortly after. The tabby tom lifts his nose, meowing that he is going over to the ledge where the Twolegs keep their fish. Mittens, Rascal and Ant leave and the patrol splits up. However, the three soon race back, each carrying a glittering fish. They bring news that Fog and her group are here as well, scavenging for food. Tigerheart tells Mittens and his companions to keep collecting while he warns Fierce. However, when the ShadowClan cat approaches Fog, they begin to fight. Both cats alert the Twolegs and the guardian cats run back home. Mittens and Rascal streak away with them, still holding their fish. Fierce is angry at Tigerheart for causing a scene, as they would not be able to scavenge there anymore. Mittens avoids the Clan cat's gaze, still holding their catch. The group slowly pads back to their den, carrying what is left of their prey.

A while later, Mittens and Rascal come back to the gathering place, eyes glittering with alarm. The tabby tom reports that Fog's group left scents around the slabs, and were likely snooping around during the night. Rascal adds that they discovered Twoleg scents as well from before dawn. Fierce decides that they should do some battle training for what might be coming next, so Tigerheart leads some cats outside. Mittens, Dotty, Pipsqueak, Rascal, Ant, and Cobweb follow him outside. They participate in a training exercise, and Tigerheart is proud of their work. The dark tabby tom watches as Pipsqueak and Dotty prowl around Mittens and Rascal, talking about how foxes usually attack. Tigerheart instructs Dotty and Pipsqueak to aim for their opponents' legs, and then sits back to watch them. The two acting as foxes lunge forward, but Mittens and Rascal are able to beat them away using their newly learned tactics. The tabby tom is able to pin Dotty, and she scrambles up from underneath him once they finish the exercise.

A few days after, Mittens and Rascal come back from hunting and say that three more mesh traps have been set out by Twolegs. They report to Fierce that all of the closed traps were taken away and replaced with bigger ones. Mittens comments that the Twolegs must have just left, as the scent is very fresh. He continues, saying that they're big enough to trap a fox, and closing won't do any good if the Twolegs keep bringing them back. Fierce suggests that perhaps it is time to move on, but Mittens protests that this is the quietest part of the city. The tortoiseshell she-cat asks Tigerheart if Fog will help them drive away the foxes in their old home, and he replies that they would leave if it was safe again, but would not help with the effort. After Tigerheart comes up with the idea, the guardian cats then develop a plan to capture the foxes in the Twoleg traps set out for cats. Mittens concedes that the mush spread inside the mesh cages does smell tempting, and might be enough to trick the foxes into going in them. During the discussion, Mittens and Rascal glance at each other and then agree to assemble a group to lead the red-pelted creatures to the traps. Tigerheart proclaims that they will succeed, whisking his tail excitedly.

On the day when they attempt to trap the foxes, Tigerheart leads the foxes close to the guardian cats' home. He and Dovewing wait behind a slab, hoping to see the foxes captured. Pipsqueak, Rascal, and Mittens leap out from their hiding spot just as they hear pouring pawsteps. They yowl at the foxes, leading them further away. Mittens rakes his claws across a vixen's snout, whirling away to lead it past some slabs. Soon, the cats come back to Tigerheart with triumphant gazes. Pipsqueak reports that Mittens and Rascal chased a fox into one trap while the others were practically falling into the traps near Blaze and Spire.

When Dovewing's kits go missing, the queen goes around the gathering place, looking for them. She asks Fierce and Mittens if they know where the three young cats might have gone. The tabby tom glances at the entrance, questioning if they might have ventured outside. After some searching, the kits turn out to be up in a tree just outside the gathering place. The next day, Mittens goes scavenging with Tigerheart, Fierce, Dovewing, Ant, Cinnamon. They file out of the den, starting to head out onto the streets. Later, when Tigerheart and Dovewing decide to go back to their Clans, Mittens listens to their announcement. The tabby tom asks if they have found a new den, and where they will go. The Clan cats explain that they are leaving because of a vision that is calling them back home. Mittens eyes widen at the information, surprised that they would risk so much on a dream. The tabby tom sniffs, commenting that it is a weird way to make decisions. Spire look at Mittens, saying that cats are guided by their eyes and belly, so they should be able to trust their heart as well. As they leave, Cinnamon says goodbye to Mittens and Rascal before walking away.

Appearances

• Tigerheart's Shadow (First appearance)
• The Silent Thaw (Mentioned only)

Quotes

Fierce: "I think he has a lot of useful knowledge. It seems foolish not to learn from him."

Ant: "I want to learn how to fight, too."

^{Tigerheart's Shadow, page 161}

Fierce: "With a little more training, we will be able to fight off those foxes easily."

Rascal: "How do we make sure they stay away?"

^{Tigerheart's Shadow, page 166}

"We met Boots and Bracken while we were hunting. They're bringing more prey. There will be food for every cat."

―Mittens about hunting ^{Tigerheart's Shadow, page 169}

Cobweb: "Meat scraps!"

Mittens: "Dotty will like this. It's easy to chew."

^{Tigerheart's Shadow, page 194}

Mittens: "I'm heading to the ledge where they pile the fish."

Cobweb: "I'll come with you."

^{Tigerheart's Shadow, chapter 19}

"We should shove them into those traps and let the Twolegs take them away."

―Mittens to Tigerheart ^{Tigerheart's Shadow, page 264}

Dovewing: "...And now a dream is taking us home. Our hearts tell us it's the right thing to do."

Mittens: "It seems like a weird way to make decisions."

^{Tigerheart's Shadow, page 299}