Bright Lights, Big Kitty! Read online

  For Helena and Mattias

  PROLOGUE

  Ping-ping!

  Lately there’s been a lot of “pinging” around here—from Mom’s phone, from Dad’s phone, and from the computer in the office.

  Ping-ping!

  Welcome to Animal Inn. My name is Shadow. I’m what you might call an escape artist. I also happen to be a cat.

  No, I’m not one of those silly cats you see in videos on the Internet. That would be my little brother, Whiskers.

  I prefer to stay in the shadows. That way it’s easier to sneak outside without anyone noticing.

  I’m part of the Tyler family. Our family includes five humans—Mom, Dad, Jake, Ethan, and Cassie—and seven animals:

  • Me

  • Whiskers—my little brother

  • Dash—a dog

  • Coco—another dog

  • Leopold—a bird

  • and Fuzzy and Furry—a pair of rodents (Okay, they’re technically gerbils.)

  We all live together in this old house in the Virginia countryside. Animal Inn is one part hotel, one part school, and one part spa. As our brochure says: We promise to love your pet as much as you do.

  Ping-ping!

  Another message?

  It could be a Pekinese in need of a pedicure. A Siamese requesting a short stay. Or a llama in need of a long stay. Once, we even had a Komodo dragon bunk in our basement.

  On the first floor of Animal Inn, we have the Welcome Area, the office, the classroom, the grooming room, and the party and play room.

  The Welcome Area is where you’ll find the all-so-important sofa. The sofa is my brother’s favorite place to rest, and my favorite place to hide.

  Our family lives on the second floor. This is where you’ll find the kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms. You’ll also find Fuzzy and Furry in their gerbiltorium in Jake and Ethan’s room.

  The third floor is for our smaller guests. If you need an aquarium, a terrarium, or a solarium, the third floor is for you. But if you bark, meow, neigh, or bleat, you’ll be accommodated out in the barn and kennels.

  Ping-ping!

  Wow! Animal Inn has become so popular lately—famous even. And to think, it all started with Whiskers, a web video, and a big dog.

  Let me tell you what happened. . . .

  CHAPTER

  1

  It began like any other Saturday morning at Animal Inn—busy!

  On Saturdays, Mom teaches her Polite Puppies class. That’s when a herd of little yippers invades the inn. They come to learn some manners. And trust me, they have a lot of work to do.

  Dad and Jake also host the Furry Pages. That’s when children read aloud to an animal buddy.

  Plus, there are grooming appointments and usually a birthday party or two.

  Saturday is my favorite day of the week, and not because I’m a big fan of puppies. It’s my favorite day because the front door is always opening and closing, giving me plenty of chances to sneak outside.

  On this particular morning, my little brother Whiskers was curled up on the sofa in the Welcome Area. Leopold was on his perch, and Dash and Coco were out for a walk with Mom and Cassie.

  I was hiding behind the sofa, waiting for things to start hopping when I heard Dad, Jake, and Ethan coming down the stairs.

  “I’ll be outside if you need me, boys,” said Dad. “I want to clear the leaves from the walkway before our first guests arrive. I can’t wait to try my new leaf blower.”

  Dad paused before opening the front door. “I see you hiding back there, Shadow,” he said with a smile. He quickly opened the door and closed it behind him.

  Drat.

  “Are you ready, Ethan?” asked Jake.

  I peeked out to see Ethan carefully holding Dad’s smartphone.“I’m ready,” said Ethan. “Action!”

  “Welcome to Animal Inn,” Jake said to the camera. “Here at Animal Inn we promise to love your pet as much as you do. My name is Jake. Today we are going to show you Saturday chores. First on our list, we tidy up the brochures.”

  “Cut!” said Ethan.

  “What’s the problem?” asked Jake.

  “It doesn’t make sense to show brochures in a web video,” said Ethan.

  “Good point,” said Jake. “This information is all online anyway. I’ll skip that part and go straight to feeding the pets.”

  “Okay,” said Ethan. “Action!”

  “Our first morning chore is to feed the Animal Inn pets,” said Jake. He walked toward the supply closet.

  I slinked out from behind the sofa to see what would be for breakfast.

  “Cut!” said Ethan again.

  “What now?” asked Jake.

  “Everybody knows we feed the pets,” said Ethan. “This is supposed to be a super-cool video for our website. What’s the next chore?”

  “Sweeping the Welcome Area,” said Jake with a sigh.

  “That isn’t very exciting,” said Ethan.

  I looked around. Ethan was right. The Welcome Area wasn’t very exciting at the moment. Leopold was preening his feathers, and my little brother Whiskers was already dozing.

  “Let’s give it one more try,” said Jake.

  Ethan held up the phone. “Action!” he said.

  Urrrrrrrrrr!

  Just then, Dad appeared outside the window with the leaf blower strapped to his back. He wore big safety goggles and ear-protection headphones. Leaves whipped and spun all around him.

  Urrrrrrrrrr!

  Whiskers’s eyes suddenly shot open.

  He spotted the figure at the window and leaped high into the air, paws stretched straight out in front. He soared in a perfect arc, then landed with a thump and skedaddled up the stairs.

  “Wow!” said Jake, turning to the camera. “Now that was exciting!”

  CHAPTER

  2

  “Did you get it?” asked Jake.

  “I think I got it,” said Ethan. He tapped the screen of the phone.

  “Wow!” said Jake. “Whiskers can fly!”

  “Check it out in slow motion,” said Ethan. He tapped the small screen again.

  I scurried over and jumped up on the windowsill to get a better look.

  It really seemed like Whiskers was flying.

  “He looks like a superhero,” said Jake.

  “Super Cat!” cheered Ethan.

  “This could make a really cool video,” said Jake, “especially if we add some background music.”

  “Then we can write the words ‘SUPER CAT! UP, UP, AND AWAY!’ across the bottom in big letters,” said Ethan.

  Dad came inside, closing the front door behind him. “I just love my new leaf blower,” he said. “That took no time at all. How’s your web video going?”

  “It’s going awesome,” said Ethan.

  “Can we upload it to the office computer?” asked Jake.

  “Then post it to the Animal Inn website?” asked Ethan.

  “I don’t see why not,” said Dad. He led the boys into the office.

  I jumped down from the windowsill.

  “Super Cat?” I said to Leopold. “I always thought of my brother as more of a sofa cat.”

  “It was an impressive leap,” said Leopold, “with excellent form.”

  Whiskers cautiously tiptoed back down the stairs. “Is that scary robot gone?” he asked. “It made such an awful noise.”

  “That wasn’t a robot,” I said. “It was Dad.”

  “He has a new leaf blower,” added Leopold.

  “Well, I liked the rake much better,” said Whiskers, resettling in his spot on the sofa.

  “You never liked the rake,” I corrected him. “Just like you don’t like the
broom, the dustpan, or the vacuum cleaner.”

  Ping-ping!

  Ping-ping!

  “Now what’s that sound?” Whiskers asked. He buried his head under a sofa cushion.

  Ping-ping!

  “It’s nothing to worry about,” said Leopold. “That just means Animal Inn has received a text message.”

  “Forget the messages,” I said. “I need to get back into position. Those impolite puppies and Furry Pages kids will be here any minute. You know where to find me.”

  I slipped behind the sofa, waiting for the doorbell to ring.

  Ping-ping!

  Ping-ping!

  “Well I’m staying right here,” said Whiskers. “No puppies. No pages. No problems.”

  Ping-ping!

  Suddenly Jake and Ethan came rushing out of the office. “Whiskers!” they cheered. “Whiskers, you’re a star!”

  CHAPTER

  3

  “Who’s a star?” asked Cassie. She and Coco were just coming through the front door. Mom and Dash followed.

  “Whiskers is a star,” said Jake.

  My little brother? A star?

  I stepped out from behind the sofa. But Whiskers was right where he always was, doing what he always did. I jumped up next to him.

  “What did we miss?” Mom asked, hanging up the dog leashes.

  “The boys made a web video,” said Dad.

  “We posted it online,” said Ethan.

  “And it’s taking off like wildfire,” said Jake.

  Whiskers looked at me in alarm. “Fire?” he whispered.

  “It’s an expression,” I assured him.

  Ping-ping!

  “Here’s a message from Sierra,” said Dad, looking at his phone.

  Sierra is our college intern. She’s studying to be a veterinarian.

  “ ‘Love Super Cat!’ ” Dad read. “ ‘LOL! Shared it with all my friends. High-five to the sofa-surfer!’ ”

  Ping-ping!

  “And here’s one from Mr. C.,” said Dad.

  Mr. C. is Cassie’s teacher. Just last week, Cassie’s entire first-grade class visited Animal Inn on a field trip. It was the best field trip ever.

  “ ‘I sent the video link to the class list,’ ” Dad read out loud. “ ‘I can’t believe the first graders got to meet Super Cat! Up, up, and away!’ ”

  “This is all very exciting,” said Mom. “But first things first. We need to get ready for Polite Puppies and Furry Pages. Plus, Dr. Dietz, the veterinarian, is joining us today. We can catch up with the messages later.”

  Ping-ping!

  “Hold on a second,” said Dad. “This is a message from Big Dog.”

  “The Big Dog?” asked Mom.

  “Yes, that Big Dog,” said Dad. “It seems he wants a piece of  Whiskers.”

  “A piece of me?”  Whiskers whispered.

  “Stay calm,” I whispered back. “It’s just another expression.”

  “But what would Big Dog want with Whiskers?” asked Mom.

  “Not Whiskers,” said Dad. “He wants Super Cat.”

  “This is so cool!” cheered Jake, as the Tylers made their way to the party and play room. “Super Cat is totally going viral!”

  CHAPTER

  4

  “I’m going what?” exclaimed Whiskers.

  “I believe Jake said you are going viral,” said Leopold.

  “I have a virus?” asked Whiskers. “You mean, I’m sick?”

  “Good thing Dr. Dietz is coming today,” said Coco.

  “You don’t need a doctor,” I assured Whiskers. “Going viral means that something is wildly popular on the Internet. And right now, that wildly popular something is you.”

  “But who is this big dog?” Whiskers asked.

  “Maybe it’s a past guest,” said Dash. “Animal Inn has hosted a lot of big dogs over the years.”

  “But what does the big dog want with me?” Whiskers asked nervously.

  I looked around at all the pets. No one had an answer.

  “I never thought I’d say this,” I said, “but . . . Follow me to the gerbiltorium.”

  We all hurried upstairs to Jake and Ethan’s room.

  Fuzzy and Furry were having a snack in one of their clear plastic tunnels. They stopped eating and stared at Whiskers—spellbound.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”  Whiskers asked.

  “Can we have your autograph?” asked Fuzzy.

  “We are huge fans,” added Furry. “We just love Super Cat.”

  “Oh yeah,” Whiskers said with a shrug. “That whole thing.”

  “Can we focus, please?” I said. “Gerbils, we have a job for you.”

  “Sorry, we’re swamped at the moment,” said Fuzzy. He went back to munching on a celery stalk.

  “Totally overbooked,” added Furry.

  “That’s a shame,” I said. “But I’m sure Super Cat can find someone else for the job.”

  “Hold your horses!” said Fuzzy. “We’d be working with Super Cat?”

  I nodded. “The one and only.”

  “Why didn’t you say so?” added Furry. “Give us the details.”

  “We need you to work your magic and find a message on the office computer,” I explained.

  “A message about what?” asked Fuzzy.

  “A big dog who wants a piece of Super Cat,” I said.

  Fuzzy and Furry gasped.

  “Say no more,” said Fuzzy.

  “Leave it to us,” added Furry.

  Then they picked the lock on the gerbiltorium and disappeared into the heating vent.

  CHAPTER

  5

  As soon as we returned to the Welcome Area, the doorbell rang.

  Ding-dong!

  “I’ll get it,” we heard Mom call. She hurried from the classroom to the front door.

  Yip! Yip! Yap! Yap! Yap!

  The Welcome Area quickly filled with puppies.

  Yip! Yip! Yap! Yap! Yap!

  Like I said, they were still working on being polite.

  Ding-dong!

  More yippers and yappers tumbled through the front door. They were followed by some of the children arriving for Furry Pages.

  Usually I would take advantage of all this commotion and sneak outside. But today was different. I needed to stick around.

  There were a lot of unanswered questions. Who was this big dog? And what did he want with my little brother?

  Mom scooped up a puppy who was heading straight for the office. “No puppies allowed in here, sweetie,” she said, closing the office door.

  Good thing she didn’t say no gerbils allowed. But now with the door closed, Fuzzy and Furry could get to work. I sure hoped they would find some answers.

  Yip! Yip! Yap! Yap! Yap!

  “Look,” said a little girl, pointing to Whiskers. “It’s Super Cat!”

  “Super Cat! Super Cat! Super Cat!” the children cheered. It seemed everyone had seen the video.

  With each cheer, Whiskers’s confidence seemed to grow. He sat up a little straighter in his spot on the sofa and started purring proudly.

  Ding-dong!

  Mom opened the front door again. It was Dr. Dietz.

  “Where’s my Super Cat?” asked Dr. Dietz. He rushed over to the sofa and patted Whiskers on the head. Then he pulled a Kitty Krisp from the pocket of his white medical coat. “This is for you, movie star,” he said.

  “I guess you saw the video too, Doc,” said Mom.

  “Sure did,” said Dr. Dietz. “I also posted a link on my clinic’s website. I think our little Whiskers is going places.”

  “You’re right about that,” said Mom. “We were just contacted by Big Dog.”

  “Wow!” exclaimed Dr. Dietz. “Big Dog is my favorite.”

  Wait a second. Dr. Dietz knows this big dog too?

  Mom started leading Dr. Dietz toward the classroom. I decided to follow. Maybe I could learn something. I kept to the shadows, but close enough to hear what they were s
aying.

  “Big Dog is the biggest in the business,” said Dr. Dietz.

  The biggest?

  “And that’s a dog-eat-dog world,” Mom added.

  Dog eat dog?

  “I actually take care of Big Dog’s dogs,” Dr. Dietz said.

  The big dog has dogs of its own?

  “And they sure are a wild bunch,” he added.

  Wild dogs!

  Good thing Whiskers hadn’t heard any of this. I was now worried enough for the both of us.

  CHAPTER

  6

  I needed to alert the others. I hurried over to Furry Pages.

  I was expecting to find the children arranging their carpet squares while Dad and Jake passed out the books. Instead, everyone was intently listening to Ethan.

  “We were just going to bring Whiskers,” Ethan explained. “But we didn’t think Whiskers would go without Shadow.”

  “And I won’t go without Coco,” said Cassie.

  “And why stop at one dog?” added Jake. “So Dash is coming too.”

  “And we can’t go without Leopold,” said Ethan. “He’s like our family spokesman.”

  “So the whole Tyler family is going,” said Dad.

  The whole Tyler family is going where?

  “But who’s going to run things at the inn?” asked one of the parents.

  “Dr. Dietz will lead Polite Puppies, and Mary Anne, the librarian, will be here for Furry Pages,” said Dad. “Plus, our intern, Sierra, can take care of the rest of the guests while we’re in the city.”

  The city?

  None of this was making any sense.

  I rushed out and nearly collided with Dash and Coco in the hallway.

  “Where have you guys been?” I asked.

  “Coco thought she saw Curtis in a tree outside the window,” said Dash.

  “Remember Curtis, the squirrel who stayed with us that time?” asked Coco. “It looked just like Curtis.”

  “Curtis was a red squirrel,” said Dash. “This was definitely a gray squirrel.”

  “Never mind about the squirrel,” I said. “We’ve got problems. I overheard Dr. Dietz talking to Mom.”