Read Online The Great Cat Caper by Lauraine Snelling - Free Book Online
Authors: Lauraine Snelling
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her husband’s ear. Then he was in the car. They really were going to leave them alone with the cats.
Vee ran to the car and pounded on the window. “Frank! Don’t leave us here.” Terror ramped up her want-to. “WE DON’T HAVE A PLAN!”
The girls pressed up against her. “Frank, you gotta help us!” Sunny yelled.
Frank rolled the window down.
Aneta whimpered.
“You sure you need help?”
“Yes!” the girls shrieked.
Frank said, “Go get the carriers. I will take them home with us
for one night.
“
The girls dashed off and returned carefully carrying the traps of the hissing, growling, unhappy cats. Frank got out of the car and placed the carriers around Gladys in the back and one on her lap. She clutched it, dipping her head to give the girls the stink eye. Nadine jumped out and took the last cage from Vee.
Now Vee had less than ten minutes to run home.
As soon as Nadine was in the car with the curious kitten in a crate on her lap, Frank put the car in gear. “Tomorrow. Meet here at ten in the morning. No excuses.” He said the last sentence staring right at Vee. Then he rolled up the window, and the Toyota rolled out of the parking lot.
“Frank and Nadine hate us,” Aneta said.
“The Cat Woman hates us,” Esther said.
“The cats hate us,” Sunny said.
“
Beetle!
” Vee said. And sprinted for home.
At ten the next morning, Nadine and Frank and the girls were already in the community center parking lot by the time Vee’s dad pulled his big SUV alongside the Toyota. Dad hadn’t been too happy about having to bring her all the way from his house this early. Thankfully, the Twin Terrors didn’t clamor to come since they were watching
Everything Animal
, their favorite Saturday show.
Frank and Nadine pointed to the senior center door. “Here we go,” Frank said, rubbing his hands together like a mad scientist. “Muahahaha!”
“Creepy,” Sunny commented, but she started to smile.
“Are we still in trouble?” Aneta asked, following behind Sunny.
“You’re not helping, Frank,” Esther said, hands on hips, falling in.
Vee shrugged and picked up the end.
Nadine took them to the room with the big-screen TV, turned out the lights, and started the video. While the narrator was explaining the concept of “trap, neuter, and return” as more helpful than simply exterminating the community cats, Vee took notes. At the end, she said, “You guys, I’m sorry I made such a mess of catching the cats. I just wanted to get it all done and get going so I could focus on my retest.”
“Trapping,” Esther said, “not catching. Cat Woman says.” But she smiled quickly.
Sunny said it wasn’t like Vee’s brain was the only one that was supposed to work. “None of us thought this out. We just wanted to work together like we did last time.”
“Last time was not good at first,” came Aneta’s voice. When the girls turned toward her, she was smiling with her head cocked and eyebrows raised. Sunny spluttered, clapping her hand over her mouth, Esther’s eyes crinkled up as she held back laughter, and Vee snorted. Yeah right. Their beginning had not been fun.
“For pizza sakes, we’ve got to help those cats,” said Sunny.
Top Things to Know about This Project:
1. Not all community cats want to be pets.
2. We could do a lot of work and not make any of them into pets.
3. We could fail our service-learning project.
What about the retest? Vee licked dry lips. The weeks seemed suddenly very short. Could she keep her want-to ramped up to find her spot as the family smart kid? Find the curious kitten a spot? Find all the Dumpster cats a home? Could she do it
all
?
She sighed, thought of the curious kitten’s sad little meow yesterday. Thought of Dad’s less-than-happy reaction to the whole project. If only the project were more
important.
… Her brain began to buzz. Like if a
national TV show
filmed their wonderful Great Cat Caper Adoption Event? So what if that narrator guy
Vee ran to the car and pounded on the window. “Frank! Don’t leave us here.” Terror ramped up her want-to. “WE DON’T HAVE A PLAN!”
The girls pressed up against her. “Frank, you gotta help us!” Sunny yelled.
Frank rolled the window down.
Aneta whimpered.
“You sure you need help?”
“Yes!” the girls shrieked.
Frank said, “Go get the carriers. I will take them home with us
for one night.
“
The girls dashed off and returned carefully carrying the traps of the hissing, growling, unhappy cats. Frank got out of the car and placed the carriers around Gladys in the back and one on her lap. She clutched it, dipping her head to give the girls the stink eye. Nadine jumped out and took the last cage from Vee.
Now Vee had less than ten minutes to run home.
As soon as Nadine was in the car with the curious kitten in a crate on her lap, Frank put the car in gear. “Tomorrow. Meet here at ten in the morning. No excuses.” He said the last sentence staring right at Vee. Then he rolled up the window, and the Toyota rolled out of the parking lot.
“Frank and Nadine hate us,” Aneta said.
“The Cat Woman hates us,” Esther said.
“The cats hate us,” Sunny said.
“
Beetle!
” Vee said. And sprinted for home.
At ten the next morning, Nadine and Frank and the girls were already in the community center parking lot by the time Vee’s dad pulled his big SUV alongside the Toyota. Dad hadn’t been too happy about having to bring her all the way from his house this early. Thankfully, the Twin Terrors didn’t clamor to come since they were watching
Everything Animal
, their favorite Saturday show.
Frank and Nadine pointed to the senior center door. “Here we go,” Frank said, rubbing his hands together like a mad scientist. “Muahahaha!”
“Creepy,” Sunny commented, but she started to smile.
“Are we still in trouble?” Aneta asked, following behind Sunny.
“You’re not helping, Frank,” Esther said, hands on hips, falling in.
Vee shrugged and picked up the end.
Nadine took them to the room with the big-screen TV, turned out the lights, and started the video. While the narrator was explaining the concept of “trap, neuter, and return” as more helpful than simply exterminating the community cats, Vee took notes. At the end, she said, “You guys, I’m sorry I made such a mess of catching the cats. I just wanted to get it all done and get going so I could focus on my retest.”
“Trapping,” Esther said, “not catching. Cat Woman says.” But she smiled quickly.
Sunny said it wasn’t like Vee’s brain was the only one that was supposed to work. “None of us thought this out. We just wanted to work together like we did last time.”
“Last time was not good at first,” came Aneta’s voice. When the girls turned toward her, she was smiling with her head cocked and eyebrows raised. Sunny spluttered, clapping her hand over her mouth, Esther’s eyes crinkled up as she held back laughter, and Vee snorted. Yeah right. Their beginning had not been fun.
“For pizza sakes, we’ve got to help those cats,” said Sunny.
Top Things to Know about This Project:
1. Not all community cats want to be pets.
2. We could do a lot of work and not make any of them into pets.
3. We could fail our service-learning project.
What about the retest? Vee licked dry lips. The weeks seemed suddenly very short. Could she keep her want-to ramped up to find her spot as the family smart kid? Find the curious kitten a spot? Find all the Dumpster cats a home? Could she do it
all
?
She sighed, thought of the curious kitten’s sad little meow yesterday. Thought of Dad’s less-than-happy reaction to the whole project. If only the project were more
important.
… Her brain began to buzz. Like if a
national TV show
filmed their wonderful Great Cat Caper Adoption Event? So what if that narrator guy
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