“Tell your grandpa I’ll pay for the wood and all the building supplies,” Ben said.
“I will. Oh, and another thing,” I said. “When Grandpa Tom finishes the tree, don’t put Lizzie up there. Let her discover it herself. It will feel safer to her if she believes she’s the only one who knows about her hiding spot.”
“And don’t bother her there. No petting her or anything. If she’s left totally alone in her ‘secret’ place, she’ll feel safest.”
“Got it. But what if other people touch her?” Ben asked.
“Don’t worry, they won’t,” I said. “Grandpa Tom will make the tree perches very high. Not even the tallest person will be able to touch Lizzie. He’ll make a No Climbing sign for kids too.”
“Great.”
“And you should probably get a shade for the front window,” I added. “For super-sunny days. Sphynx can get sunburned easily.”
Ben grinned. “I can’t thank you enough,” he said. “I hope to have Lizzie back here soon.”
“You will,” I said. “My grandpa’s a really fast builder.”
I hurried back to the table. A hot slice of pizza waited on a plate for me. Alfreeda and my grandparents were already eating.
I told them the plan, pushed my plate away, and asked Grandma Kit for a pen. She dug in her purse and handed me one. I started to draw a cat tree on a paper napkin.
“What is that?” Alfreeda said through a big mouthful of pizza. “No, it can’t look like a common cat tree. She’s Queen Lizzie!”
Alfreeda took the pen from me and started to draw on her napkin. “It has to look like a little kitty castle, high in the clouds,” she said.
The pen moved all over the napkin like it had a motor in it. Wow, I thought. Alfreeda’s a really good artist. She made the little cat cave at the top of the tall post look like a real castle. It had towers and a drawbridge. It even had arrow slits.
“She’ll have a good view of the restaurant ‘forest’ from every direction,” Alfreeda said, still drawing.
“Queen Lizzie will rule the whole kingdom from high ground,” I said. “She’ll keep it safe from enemies, like a true queen.”
I pointed at the drawing and asked Grandpa Tom, “Can you build that?”
“I can,” he said. “I’ll build a ladder too, so Lizzie can climb up easily. I’ll add a scratching post so she can keep her claws sharp and mark her territory. I’ll hammer the post to the high beam closest to the front door. Lizzie can walk along the beam. That will make her view even wider and her territory even larger.”
“Great!” I said. “Let’s hurry home and start building it!”
“I’ll help,” Alfreeda said.
“Thanks!” I said. And I really meant it.
“Tabitha?” Grandma Kit smiled. “Your pizza. You haven’t eaten one bite.”
“Oh yeah.” I laughed and gobbled two large slices in record time. It was the best-tasting pizza I’d ever eaten — fit for a queen!
I couldn’t believe I’d get such tasty pizza free, for a whole month!
When Grandma Kit wasn’t around, I’d make a secret deal with Alfreeda: If she could go a whole day without bragging about dogs, I’d share pizza with her that day at dinnertime.
Oh yeah, and she wouldn’t be allowed to say mean stuff about cats the whole day either. That would be a purr-fect day at Tabby Towers!
Is a Sphynx the Cat for You?
Hello, it’s me, Tabitha!
Maybe you’d like your own Sphynx now, right? I’m not surprised. It’s a popular type of cat with many pet owners.
Here’s why: For one thing, Sphynx look so different from other cats. Many people like strange-looking pets. Second, they’re fun to have around. They’re smart, friendly, and lively. They love getting attention from their families.
But before you buy or adopt one, there are some important things you should know:
Sphynx must be bathed often. The body oil on furry cats spreads to their hair, but the oil on a hairless cat has nowhere to go. So Sphynx must be bathed once or twice each week.
Sphynx can’t stand cold weather or too much sunshine. Hairless cats lose more body heat than cats with fur. Sphynx must have warm beds and blankets, in warm areas of the house. In cooler homes or during cold seasons, they may need to wear kitty coats or sweaters to keep them warm enough. Also, owners should limit the amount of sunlight the cats get. Sphynx can get sunburned easily.
Sphynx have a high rate of heart disease. It’s important that Sphynx owners plan regular checkups with a vet.
All right, cat lovers! That’s all for now… until the next adventure at Tabby Towers!
Meowingly yours,
Tabitha Catarina Felinus (Tabby Cat, for short)
Visit TABBY TOWERS again with these awesome adventures!
Learn more about the people and cats of Tabby Towers at www.capstonekids.com.
We promised Alfreeda we’d include the Hound Hotel guests and their super-fun stories here too!
Learn more about the people and pups of Hound Hotel at www.capstonekids.com.
About the Author
Shelley Swanson Sateren has been a freelance writer for thirty years and has written more than forty books for children, both fiction and nonfiction. Besides writing, Shelley has worked as a children’s book editor and in a children’s bookstore. She is also a certified K–6 schoolteacher and has enjoyed employment in several schools. Shelley lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with her husband and has two grown sons.
About the Illustrator
Deborah Melmon has worked as an illustrator for more than twenty-five years. After graduating from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, she started her career illustrating covers for the Palo Alto Weekly newspaper. Since then, she has produced artwork for more than twenty children’s books. Her artwork can also be found on giftwrap, greeting cards, and fabric. Deborah lives in Menlo Park, California, and shares her studio with an energetic Airedale Terrier named Mack.
Adventures at Tabby Towers is published by Picture Window Books,
a Capstone Imprint
1710 Roe Crest Drive
North Mankato, Minnesota 56003
www.mycapstone.com
Copyright © 2018 Picture Window Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available on the Library of Congress website.
ISBN 978-1-5158-1545-7 (library binding)
ISBN 978-1-5158-1549-5 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-5158-1553-2 (eBook PDF)
ISBN 978-1-5158-2247-9 (eBook)
Summary: Queen Lizzie’s Pizza Palace is ready to open, but its starring feline attraction, a Sphynx cat named Lizzie, won’t stop leaping on the counter. Her owner’s checked her into Tabby Towers in hopes of keeping her paws off the pepperoni!
Designer: Heidi Thompson
Leaping Lizzie Page 3
