This content was created by Lois Letchford. This content was uploaded by Lois Letchford. This is a YouTube video titled "Lois Reads - Return of the Killer Cat Chapter 9" (uploaded 2020-12-29) containing an audiobook-style narration of Chapter 9 ("Rumbled") from Anne Fine's Return of the Killer Cat, read by Lois Letchford. The excerpt is a first-person, narrated scene in which the cat Tuffy disguises itself as Janet, gets into a fur-flying scuffle, and is later mistaken for having torn Janet to pieces.
Chapters
Return of the Killer Cat by Anne Fine. Read by Lois Letchford. Chapter 9, Rumbled. Go on, admit it. You wouldn't have gone home either. You would have stayed the whole week just like I did, stuffing your face and getting fat. Fatter and fatter. By Saturday night, I was as big as a barrel. There were splits down the sides of my seams. I was bulging out of the nightie. And that's when the gang came looking for me. They peeked in the basket. Tuffy? Tuffy? Is that you? I was a bit embarrassed. I disguised my voice. No, I explained. I'm Janet, Tuffy's cousin. Bella stared at the fur bulges bursting through the nightie. So what happened to Tuff? Did you eat him? I gave her the blink. No. So where is he? I shrugged. Maybe it was the most energetic thing I'd done in nearly a week. Anyhow, the seam of the nightie split and a whole lot more of my bulges Doing the striptease, are you? Puskin said, then added rudely, fatso! That set them all off. Fibble! Tubalad! I narrowed my eyes. I made the tiniest little noise. Tiniest! Everyone said afterwards that I was the one who started it, but I wasn't. It was hardly a hiss at all. It was more like a purr, really. I blame Bella. She should never have put out her paw and patted me. Come on, guys, until Tuffy turns up, let's have fun with this greasy, great fur— furry beach ball! So I thwacked her! And so she thwacked me back! That's how the fight started. It was quite a big flurry, with flying fur and shreds of nightie floating all over. At one point, the ribbonnet ribbons nearly strangled me, but I wriggled free and took all 3 of them on again. Suddenly, with my disguise in tatters around the lawn, everyone cottoned on. Hey guys, it is Tuffy after all! It's Tuffy! Yo, Tuffy, at last found you! And that's the moment Melanie came down the garden carrying my third meal of the day. The others stared. Respectfully. Fresh cream, sighed Bella. Real tuna, Tiger whispered. Lots, said Puskins. But Melanie didn't put it down as usual. Tuffy, she said to me sternly, what have you done with Janet? I tried to look all Janet-y, but without the lace bonnet and the nightie, it didn't work. Melanie looked around, and I admit, if you're expecting to find your precious new pet, it did look a bit bad. Shreds of fur and nightie and bonnet all over. Oh, Tuffy! Tuffy! she wailed. You bad, bad cat! You've torn Janet to pieces and eaten her! You monster! The others turned and fled and left me to it. You monster, Tuffy! Monster! Monster!
