The Cat Bandit

The Hot Dog

Mom had a hot dog, and she left it on a shelf in the den. The hot dog gave off a delicious smell that drifted through the house.

Outside on the deck, the cat bandit sat wishing for a snack. Suddenly, the smell of the hot dog reached him. What a smell! He sniffed the air again and again.

The cat bandit dashed into the den and spotted the hot dog on the shelf. First, he jumped onto a bench. Next, he leaped onto the TV set. Finally, with one big jump, he sprang up and landed right on the shelf.

Then, munching happily, the cat bandit enjoyed his very own picnic lunch.

The Chicken Nugget

Hank put his dish in the sink, leaving behind a big, hot chicken nugget. The smell of chicken drifted up from the sink and floated into the den.

The cat bandit was napping in the den, but even in his sleep, he kept sniffing the air.

He sprang awake, ran to the kitchen, and spotted the nugget sitting in the sink. He sat and thought for a moment, planning how to reach it. Then he went to the closet and gathered a bunch of boxes.

He stacked one box, then set a bigger box beside it, and finally placed the biggest box next to the sink. The cat bandit took a running start and hopped from box to box until he reached the top.

Then, munching happily, that was the end of the chicken nugget.

The Snack Mix

Beth left a basket of snack mix on a shelf. The cat bandit spotted it right away and knew he had to get it—but how? He sat and thought about it, then ran outside to the deck.

The cat bandit grabbed Dad's grilling tongs from beside the gas grill and set them on the rug. Then he gathered a pile of rocks and placed them nearby.

He set a rock on one end of the tongs and pressed down on the other end with his paw. When he let go, the tong sprang up, sending the rock zipping through the air. It hit the shelf with a bing—but missed the basket of snack mix.

The cat bandit kept trying, shooting rock after rock. Six rocks flew and missed. Finally, on the seventh try, the rock hit the basket! It tumbled down onto the rug, scattering snack mix everywhere.

Then, chomping happily, that was the end of the snack mix.

The Ham

Mom left a pink ham sitting in a big black pan. The cat bandit was resting on a quilt when a delicious smell reached his nose. Ham! But where was it?

He sniffed his way through the house until he found it—sitting up high, out of reach. How could he get it down?

The cat bandit ran to the closet and grabbed a belt. Then he hurried to the shed and found a strong magnet, which he attached to the end of the belt.

He swung the belt through the air, and the magnet struck the pan with a clang, sticking to it firmly. The cat bandit tugged and yanked on the belt again and again until, at last, the pan slid off the shelf and crashed to the floor.

Then, munching happily, that was the end of the ham.

The Fish

One day, Mom hung a fish up on a string to dry. While scratching himself outside, the cat bandit caught a whiff of it and dashed into the kitchen. He spotted the fish hanging from the string and sat down to figure out a plan.

The cat bandit fetched Mom's glasses and placed them on a sunny bench. The sun shone through the two lenses, making them glint brightly. He carefully slid the glasses until one lens focused a beam of hot sunlight onto the string. Then he waited.

The sunlight heated the string until the wax holding it together melted. With a rip, the fish fell down.

Then, munching happily, that was the end of the fish.

The Milk

One day, Beth left a glass of milk on the deck, but it was too high for the cat bandit to reach. He felt disappointed—until he noticed a clothesline stretching from the shed to the deck, where Mom had hung wet socks, pants, and a jacket to dry. The cat bandit grinned.

He grabbed Dad's belt and climbed on top of the shed. Looping the belt over the clothesline, he held on tight and jumped off, zooming along the line.

As he zipped past, he knocked the socks off—pop, pop, pop! Then the pants—pop, pop, pop! Then the jacket flew off with a thwack!

Finally, as he zoomed past the glass of milk, he kicked it with his leg, sending it crashing down onto the deck. The cat bandit landed safely.

Then, lapping happily, that was the end of the milk.

The Chips

One day, Mom placed a big bag of chips on the top shelf in the kitchen. "The cat will never reach those up there," she said. But it wasn't long before the cat bandit was back to his clever tricks.

He gathered a log, a plank, and a big rock. He placed the rock on a bench, set the log on the rug beside it, and rested the plank on top of the log, creating a seesaw.

The cat bandit sat on one end of the plank and slid the rock off the bench. The rock landed on the other end with a smack, sending that end crashing down—and launching the cat bandit high into the air!

He flipped through the air and landed neatly on top of the shelf. With a swift slash, he tore open the bag of chips.

Then, crunching happily, that was the end of the chips.

The Catfish

Dad went fishing and caught a big catfish. He placed it in a bucket and locked it safely inside the shed. "There!" he said, clicking the lock shut. "This lock will stop the cat!"

But the tempting smell of fish drifted through the air, and the cat bandit sensed there was fish nearby. He came to investigate, but found the shed locked tight. That didn't stop him, though!

He fetched a belt, hooked one end to the lock, and tugged with all his might. But the lock held firm, and the shed didn't budge.

So the cat bandit brought in a dog to help. Together, the cat and dog pulled on the belt—but the shed still wouldn't move.

Next, the cat bandit brought in a pig. With the cat, the dog, and the pig all pulling together, the shed finally began to tilt to the left.

With a loud wham, the shed came crashing down!

Then, munching happily, that was the end of the catfish.