The Cat Bandit

The Hot Dog

Mom had a hot dog. She left it on a shelf in the den.

The hot dog made a smell. The smell drifted through the house.

The cat bandit sat on the deck. He wished he had a snack. Then the hot dog smell reached him.

What a smell! Sniff, sniff, sniff!

The cat bandit ran into the den. He saw the hot dog up on the shelf.

He jumped on a bench. Then he jumped on the TV set. Then, with one big jump, he landed on the shelf.

Munch, munch, munch! The cat bandit ate the whole hot dog.

The Chicken Nugget

Hank put his dish in the sink. He left a big chicken nugget on it.

The nugget was still hot. The smell of chicken drifted into the den.

The cat bandit was napping there. But he was sniffing even while asleep. Sniff, sniff, sniff!

The cat bandit jumped up. He ran and saw the nugget in the sink.

He sat and thought of a plan. He went to the closet and got some boxes.

He put one box down. Then he put a bigger box next to it. Then he put the biggest box next to the sink.

The cat bandit ran and hopped from box to box. Munch, munch, munch! That was the end of the chicken nugget.

The Snack Mix

Beth left a basket of snack mix on a shelf. The cat bandit saw it. He wanted it badly.

But how could he reach it? He sat and thought. Then he ran off to the deck.

The cat bandit got Dad's grilling tongs (long metal tools used to flip food on the grill). He set them on the rug.

Then he got some rocks and put them on the rug too.

He put a rock on top of the tongs. He pressed the tongs down with his leg. Then he let go.

Swish! The rock flew off. Bing! It hit the shelf — but missed the basket.

The bandit tried again and again. Swish, bing! Swish, bing! Swish, bing! Six rocks missed.

At last — swish, smack! The seventh rock hit the basket. It fell onto the rug. Snack mix scattered everywhere.

Chomp, chomp, chomp! That was the end of the snack mix.

The Ham

Mom left a pink ham in a big black pan.

The cat bandit was resting on a quilt (a soft blanket) when he smelled the ham. What was that smell? Ham!

He sniffed his way until he found it. But the ham was up high. How could he get it down?

The cat bandit ran to the closet and got a belt. Then he went to the shed and got a strong magnet (a metal object that pulls certain things toward it). He stuck the magnet to the end of the belt.

He swung the belt. Clang! The magnet hit the pan and stuck to it.

The cat bandit tugged and yanked on the belt. Tug, tug, tug! Yank, yank, yank!

At last, the pan slid off and fell with a clang.

Munch, munch, munch! That was the end of the ham.

The Fish

Mom hung a fish on a string.

The cat bandit was scratching himself when he smelled the fish. He ran into the kitchen. He saw the fish hanging there.

He sat and thought of a plan.

The cat bandit got Mom's glasses. He set them on a bench in the sun. The lenses (the glass parts you look through) sparkled in the light.

He moved the glasses until the sunlight beamed onto the string.

The sun made the string hot. The wax on the string melted. Then — rip! The fish fell.

Munch, munch, munch! That was the end of the fish.

The Milk

Beth left a glass of milk on the deck. The cat bandit saw it, but it was too high to reach. He felt sad.

Then he noticed a string stretched from the shed to the deck. Mom had hung wet socks, wet pants, and a wet jacket on it. The bandit grinned.

The cat bandit got Dad's belt. He climbed on top of the shed. He swung the belt over the string, held on, and jumped off.

Whiz! He went zooming along the string.

Pop, pop, pop! He knocked off the socks. Pop, pop, pop! He knocked off the pants. Thwack! He knocked off the jacket.

As he zipped past the milk, he kicked the cup with his leg. The cup crashed onto the deck.

The bandit landed safely. Lap, lap, lap! That was the end of the milk.

The Chips

Mom left a big bag of chips on the top shelf. "The cat will never reach that," she said.

But the cat bandit had a plan. He got a log, a plank (a long flat board), and a big rock.

He put the rock on a bench. He put the log on the rug. He rested the plank on top of the log, like a seesaw.

The cat bandit sat on one end of the plank. He pushed the rock off the bench. It landed on the other end.

Smack! That end went down fast — and the bandit's end shot up!

Whiz! The cat bandit flew up, flipped in the air, and landed right on the shelf.

Slash! He tore open the bag.

Crunch, crunch, crunch! That was the end of the chips.

The Catfish

Dad went fishing and caught a big catfish. He put it in a bucket and locked it in the shed.

"There!" he said, clicking the lock shut. "This will stop the cat!"

But the smell of fish drifted in the wind. The cat bandit knew there was fish nearby. He went to check.

The shed was locked. That didn't stop him! He got a belt, hooked it to the lock, and tugged. But the lock held strong.

The cat bandit brought a dog to help. Together, they tugged on the belt. Still, the shed did not budge.

The cat bandit brought a pig too. Now the cat, the dog, and the pig all tugged together.

That worked! The shed began to tilt.

Wham! The shed crashed down.

Munch, munch, munch! That was the end of the catfish.