Katie the Catsitter

“This. Is no accident. This fire. Burns like indigestion from a justice burrito. Obviously someone thought this building was ugly. The windows. Were all wrong. And the brick color clasheIith....”

The Eastern Screech functions as a parody of superheroes. Through him, the novel pokes fun at egotism and self-importance. This is evident in the Eastern Screech’s staccato manner of speech and how detached he is from reality. He has no clue why the fire was actually started (to save the animals being tested on) because he is so focused on himself.

“I know. It’s just that I get so bored when you’re away. Nothing ever happens around here.”

At the beginning of the opening chapter, Katie and the Mousetress are juxtaposed with one another as they each break into a window—Katie is breaking into her home because she forgot her keys, while the Mousetress is breaking into the factory she is about to torch.



The above quote, when Katie claims that “nothing ever happens around here,” is ironic, as the silhouette of the Mousetress is climbing into a window two stories above her. These two examples foreshadow the connection between the two of them and suggest that Ms. Lang is likely the Mousetress.

“There’s so much we can learn from the Eastern Screech. Last night he put himself at risk to save hundreds of poor rabbits from a terrible fire. I’d like to use today’s art session to honor him and all animals in general. His ability to get in touch with nature and the majestic owl is one of the things that makes him noble, intelligent, quick, mysterious,handsome....”

Even Katie’s teacher, Ms. Sistine, who should ostensibly be someone with a more critical eye, is fooled by the Eastern Screech’s image and reputation. She demonstrates how his popularity is a positive feedback loop at work. He did not actually save the bunnies; he didn’t even realize they were the reason the factory was targeted. Yet, Ms. Sistine attributes this heroic act to him because he is a popular superhero, which then builds his reputation even further.

[Jess:] “‘I’m gonna draw that red-tailed hawk we saw last summer. Remember when we were hiking Mount...’

[Bethany:] ‘Jess! Enough about camp!’

[Katie:] ‘No, it’s okay. I’d be excited too...if I was going.’

[Jess:] ‘You should totally come! Bethany, don’t you think she should come? There’s four weeks. I bet you can get into one of them. I’m sure they can find some space for you!’

[Katie:] ‘Yeah, it’s not really a space issue.’

[Bethany:] ‘[…] It’d be so fun! I can get my mom to spot you for one week.’”

Bethany understands Katie’s situation in a way that Jess doesn’t. Jess is too excited and self-absorbed to consider how continuing to talk about camp might make Katie feel. However, while Bethany is courteous and shows awareness now, when she is away from Katie and spends more time with Jess, she becomes more closely aligned with the latter. This demonstrates the influence people have on one another. The novel also explores the impact of positive influences: Katie’s budding relationship with Ms. Lang and Marie introduces her to new ideas and interests that also change her as a person.

“Oh, and I almost forgot. Mr. Quinn from 6F asked me to give you this.”

Despite failing to complete the job of helping Mr. Quinn bring his grocery bags up the stairs, he insists on paying her for the small bit of work she did. This is an act of encouragement. He recognizes the uphill battle she has ahead of her and doesn’t want her to give up. Acts of kindness like this are central to the novel’s understanding of what it means to be a good neighbor. The novel conveys this message through Ms. Lang and Mr. B as well.

“‘I have found a voucher. It says it pays for a single session at camp. So random! […] Come on, Katie! Just let me pay for one week. You’ll love it!’

‘It’s okay, Mrs. Tinoco. I want to raise the money myself.’”

One of the major differences between Katie and Bethany is that Katie is independent and Bethany is not. Katie has grown up having to do lots of things for herself while her mom is at work, and she is not comfortable accepting help that she doesn’t feel she has earned.

“It’s just not fair.”

Katie has tried and failed to earn money for camp again. Though Katie is upset, the experience shapes her values and who she is. It makes her more considerate, responsible, resourceful, and socially aware in ways that Bethany and Jess are not.

“‘Tonight I’ll be working till midnight. I’m actually running a bit late already. How does $25 an hour sound?’

‘Um...’

‘Okay, okay. $30?’”

Given how intelligent the cats are, it is unlikely they actually need a cat sitter. Ms. Lang increases the amount she is willing to pay Katie, suggesting that she really just wants to help her out. It is another act of kindness that is central to the novel’s worldview: If you have the means to help someone, you should.

“Why did I think I could do this? Why did I think I could do ANYTHING?”

At several points in the novel, Katie seems defeated. However, one of her defining characteristics is her ability to persevere through adversity. Rather than giving up after her first difficult night with the cats, she comes back again and again, each time with renewed energy and new ideas to tackle the problem.

“Jess is already driving me batty. Pretty sure there’s not a single boy here that she doesn’t have a crush on.”

Initially, Bethany is annoyed by Jess’s obsession with boys, much like Katie. However, as time goes by and she spends more time with her and the boys at camp, she develops a crush of her own and drifts apart from Katie.

“Here you go! And some chocolates I got at work tonight.”

The chocolates are the second major clue that Ms. Lang is the Mousetress. However, her offering them to Katie occurs before the big reveal that there was an attack on a chocolate factory. Therefore, one could miss that the chocolates Ms. Lang got from “work” likely came from the factory she blew up.

“While searching for clues, it was discovered that PURE ORGANICS owner Lydia Staples has not been using her frequent trips to Africa to ‘pay living wages to migrant farmers,’ but instead was using the trips to illegally hunt endangered animals. Animals she THEN put on display in her secret office.”

This quote exemplifies The Difference Between Appearances and Reality, and how, in the novel, many people are not what they appear. Lydia Staples created a reputation for herself as being a humanitarian to cover her more nefarious and illegal activities. The above revelation also establishes a pattern of animal abuse by the people and businesses the Mousetress is targeting.

“Turns out Mr. Prescott’s billions don’t come from his albums or sweet dance moves. Prescott was running an illegal gambling ring specializing in dogfighting.”

This is the third revelation that another Mousetress target is guilty of animal cruelty. It establishes a pattern of extremely wealthy people or businesses being guilty of immoral acts. Given that Katie and her mom are financially struggling despite being good people, this suggests an inherent immorality in extreme wealth.

“Bethany!!! I haven’t heard from you in forever. Is everything okay? I’m finally getting a handle on the cats, though that’s the least of my troubles right now.”

Bethany’s last postcard talked about her maybe liking a boy. Despite this, Katie’s response only focuses on the cats and what she has been doing, and doesn’t make any mention of Bethany’s new crush. While Katie gets upset and is worried that there hasn’t been another postcard, she is as much at fault as Bethany for their disconnect.

“She’s never gone this long without writing! And the last postcard I sent was really important.”

What Katie doesn’t realize is that the last postcard she sent was intercepted by the Eastern Screech and likely didn’t arrive; it may not even be Bethany’s fault for not responding. It is a small but important detail as it suggests that in a friendship and in life, sometimes things happen outside of one’s control that make a significant impact.

“It’s $3500 a week now?! Why did it go up? How can sleeping in the woods be this expensive?!”

Katie’s inability to afford camp is an indictment of expensive, for-profit child programs as much as it reveals her family’s financial precarity. The novel implies that summer camp should not be this prohibitively expensive and exclusory.

“I got a postcard from my friend Bethany. First one in weeks. She used to write every day. Now she’s just ignoring me. […] And she signed the card Beth, not Bethany. BETH! And there’s some guy named Ben! UGH. I don’t even know if I WANT to go to camp anymore!”

Bethany’s decision to suddenly go by “Beth,” a name she used to hate being called, makes Katie feel like she doesn’t know her friend anymore. She is upset because this change feels surprising and sudden, but in reality, it has been building all summer. Katie has also changed as much as Bethany has—she has just been so busy and preoccupied that she hasn’t noticed.

The above quote’s use of all caps and exclamation points mimic the way that someone Katie’s age may actually speak—“UGH. I don’t even know if I WANT to go to camp anymore!”

“But it’s like that old saying: ‘Absence makes the heart grow fungus.’ Distance is hard. People grow apart. They also grow back together. If she’s a good friend, she knows how special you are and that she’s lucky to have you.”

Ms. Lang’s advice is comforting to Katie. However, the question of whether Katie and Bethany will manage to rebuild their friendship—or what new form it will take—remains unresolved in this entry in the series. Katie’s decision to hang out with Marie before reading the latest postcard from Bethany implies that Katie may have accepted things and that she is beginning to move on.

“‘Do you think it’s possible for someone to be evil and good at the same time? […] I think Ms. Lang might be the Mousetress.’

‘I think we’d know if the worst supervillain in New York City lived two floors above us!’

‘But that’s the thing. I don’t think she’s a villain at all.’”

An important part of Katie’s coming-of-age is gaining a more nuanced understanding of right and wrong. Through her experiences with Ms. Lang, she comes to realize that morality is not binary, and that even some acts deemed illegal can be moral if done for the right reasons. She knows that Ms. Lang is a kind, considerate, and caring person who is very invested in animal rights. For Katie, that is enough to morally justify what Ms. Lang does as the Mousetress.

“‘What are you protesting?’

‘Mistreatment of the carriage horses in the city. Those horses sleep in boxes so small they can’t even lie down. Sometimes I feel like holding up a sign isn’t enough.’”

Ms. Lang recognizes the limitations of peaceful protesting and that it may not spur changes quickly enough. This is why she also fights for animal rights as the Mousetress. It allows her to make a difference immediately and in ways that more legitimate and legal avenues do not.

“In 1918, a female soldier became one of the most decorated World War 1 heroes. She saved 197 lives by flying a message over enemy lines. Yes, you heard me right. FLYING. That war hero...was a pigeon. I know you are probably imagining Lassie right now, and yes, some of these stories are about dogs, but there are also stories of cats, pigs, rabbits, gorillas, wolves, and even dolphins saving people. Animals are intelligent. They have emotions. They can be loyal. They can be brave.”

Ms. Lang’s speech at the protest provides important context for understanding the deeper meaning and role of her 217 highly intelligent cats. Her speech highlights the ways animals have always helped humanity throughout history, and how people have often responded by mistreating them. The cats provide a reminder that animals are smart, thinking, feeling beings. They are an opportunity to explore what a healthy, positive working partnership with animals can look like. In her speech, Ms. Lang uses repetition, starting the final three lines with the word “They.” This creates a sense of rhythm and emphasis.

“Sometimes you do things because it makes you happy. Not because it makes you money.”

Mr. B provides a lesson central to Katie’s coming-of-age. As she grows throughout the story and discovers her interest and passion for animals, her priorities shift. This is exemplified by her decision not to spend the money she has saved on going to camp, but for veterinary school instead.

[Katie:] “‘The Mousetress isn’t evil! She was just trying to help animals!’

[The Eastern Screech:] ‘Oh, I know that. But have you seen my Yelp rating lately? This capture is great press. It’s time to give up, little mouse girl. I’m the greatest hero this city has ever known.’”

This epitomizes the Eastern Screech’s narcissism and selfishness. He drops his façade and openly admits that he is not interested in helping people or attaining justice; he only cares about his popularity.