Cry of the Cat

Goosebumps 2000 #1

by R.L. Stine

In the light of the full moon, I saw the cat sprawled on its back, its head twisted to one side, its four paws straight up in the air.

Even from my bedroom window high above the ground, I recognized the cat.

The cat named Rip.

And I knew without going down there that I had killed it again.

Killed it for a third time.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Mystery, Young Adult, Fantasy

119 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.

R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.

Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.

http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...

Reviews

[Matteo Fumagalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

RILETTURA, DA ADULTO, DEI PICCOLI BRIVIDI N.10

Bello pazzo questo "Piccoli Brividi"!
Parte in modo decisamente intrigante: Allison investe un gatto con la bici e da quel momento la sua vita cambierà per sempre. Il felino, decisamente poco coccoloso, tornerà a perseguitarla e a rendere la sua esistenza un inferno. Ironia della sorte, la ragazzina si ritrova a ucciderlo svariate volte. Eppure lui torna sempre. Non solo: Allison si sta trasformando. Sputa palle di pelo, gioca in modo incontrollato con i topi, si lancia da metri di altezza convinta di atterrare in piedi. C'entra qualcosa Crystal, quella strana gattara di dodici anni che vive in una magione piena di gatti urlanti terrorizzata da una madre apparentemente pazza?

Tiene il ritmo per 100 pagine abbondanti (bello soprattutto il fatto che la protagonista ci descriva le sue stranezze feline, come mangiare sole scatolette di tonno, senza che nemmeno lei le ritenga strane) viaggiando sui binari del weird. Azzarda pure un'armata di gatti zombie-fantasma e poi il finale non regge le aspettative.
Tutto è molto pasticciato, nel tentativo di dare una risposta a tutta la follia delle pagine prima (vaghissimi riferimenti a esperimenti insensati sugli animali) e una chiusura di puro disagio trash:
la protagonista lancia un topo giocattolo e i gatti non-morti iniziano, estasiati, a calpestare il gattaccio cattivo. Ma che? Davvero?
Nonostante sia una baracconata, comunque, è molto divertente. E originale.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

When reading and reviewing old Goodebumps books, of course I have to grade on a curve. If it’s one I didn’t read as a kid—as is the case with nearly every entry in the Series 2000 line—I try to decide how I would’ve felt about it as a kid. I think I would’ve liked Cry of the Cat, but maybe not loved it. I know it wouldn’t have scared me—only a few Goosebumps books did (The Haunted Mask, Welcome to Dead House, The Haunted School, the camp entries).

It’s not like I expect RL Stine to offer much of any substantial character work, but the characters here really feel threadbare. And this is essentially a chase novel, but there are a couple atmospheric scenes and the climax is sufficiently creepy. The ending is a bit rushed, but what can you do. Perfectly average for a Goosebumps book. Poor Rip.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original Goosebumps series was full of suspense and events that almost seemed horrific. However, in the majority of the books things were explained through some natural, rational, or plausible way and then the book ends with a Hitchcockian twist. If CRY OF THE CAT is any indication of what the Goosebumps 2000 holds, then things are a lot more spooky with a lot less rational explantation.

The story of CRY OF THE CAT revolves around Alison. Alison is a young girl who is involved in theatre. One afternoon while on her way to play practice, she runs over a cat and kills it. At least she thinks she killed it. When she takes it back to the owners, it comes back to life. The same cat shows up again during play rehearsal and is crushed by a set piece on accident. But the cat comes back again and starts to haunt Alison. The cat, Rip, isn't like other cats and it has a mind of it's own.

Spooky story filled with lots of interesting plot twists. Feels more frightening than some of the original Goosebumps.

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all 25 Goosebumps Series 2000 books for a 2-hour YouTube video, where I reviewed and ranked them all, which you can check out here: https://youtu.be/VsNwNpeqgLo

[Jason Harlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not very familiar with Goosebumps 2000, but I knew of this one from the TV series. This book is about as similar to its TV counterpart as The Haunted Mask 2; the story structure is the similar overall, but there are several notable differences. The first one in this instance is that there's a play going on, rather than a film production. This wasn't anything to write home about, but it was fun enough and didn't overstay its welcome. I also appreciated how dark this was, though it seemed to lean a little too heavy into its Pet Semetary influence towards the end. Check this one out if you dig stuff like this and are looking for a quick, enjoyable read.

[Plagued by Visions · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up gawking at the Goosebumps covers lining my school library in fear and morbid curiosity, but never mustered up enough courage to actually read one of them. Now, some 18 years later, I’ve finally read my first RL Stine, Cry of the Cat, and I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised.
One thing I got from Stine is that he is engaged in constant banter and strikes up rapport with readers of any age. There’s an intentional humor and gentleness to a lot of his prose, and an overall coziness and (for me) nostalgia to the way his books are written. This is undoubtedly the world of sandwich bags, school plays, and frivolity, and rather than attempt to make any broader claims or condemnations about childhood, Stine lets us simply revel in that adventurousness and vulnerability of it all. He’s an author you can laugh WITH (and AT, maybe, at some points, but all in good fun), and his use of false lead-ups and gross-out hijinks was quite endearing (though once or twice eye-rolling). And when it comes to the shocks—this was nonstop thrills! Stine is of the philosophy of throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks, and while, admittedly, quite a few things flop down lifelessly to the floor, there’s plenty in here to love, and some genuinely unsettling and daring horrors (I was surprised by some moments where he did not hold back when I thought he would). Yes, the characters are paper-thin and some action leading into the climax was more puzzling than scary, but overall, this is everything it promises to be, and although Stine is writing for a younger audience, some tastes of his style even ring with a sense of Gothic allure and tragedy, which was quite surprising. Still, I would describe RL Stine as unabashedly an author for kids, and it’s actually quite refreshing to see someone write this way, with zero hangups.
Overall, the experience was bittersweet, because now I find myself regretting never having opened one of these books when I was at the prime age to consume them. Thankfully, however, Stine’s writing really assured me that it’s never too late!

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a disgusting yet enjoyable adventure
I hate cats and this book was full of cats and bad catish events
But still it was a great book I really was shocked by the secrets and all the things

[Austin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to go through and re-read all of the Series 2000 Goosebumps books!
Starting off with Cry of the Cat -
I remember enjoying this book when I was younger, but only have a vague memory of the actual story. It is quite a bit different than I thought and has some pretty crazy stuff happening towards the end! Aside from the "solution" that saves the main characters from the climax of the story, (it was kind of silly/cheap), and a few other minor complaints (such as logic gaps in the story, but again, that's a common trait for all G.B., so no stars to really be deducted there), I really loved this book. I'm not exactly a cat person i.r.l. - at all. But for some reason, or perhaps because of that, I love cat stories, I think they're creepy and gross.
This is a great book and I'll be honestly surprised if many of the other books in the series are just as good or better than this one.
4.5 / 5
(Also, that ARTWORK though - One of my favorite covers!)

[Zoey De Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, I wasn't really intirigued on the story's journey but I gotta admit that it's kinda scary, the story was kind of like, if you can't kill it, be one of them. not really but it's close. most of the parts are not necessary boring but just uninteresting with the auditorium scenes, didn't care for it. the whole climax is great for the most part

3.5/5

[Rosie Mccarthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't stop laughing from beginning to end, on of the corniest things I have ever read. I have no idea why I was frightened by this when I was younger! I'll keep reading this series of Goosebumps because I frankly find it hilarious and cheesy!

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was absolutely great until the last 20 or so pages. I have more questions then answers, still a fun read though.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so I saw the Goosebumps movie the other day and wanted to reread one of my books and recapture my childhood. Safe to say I probably should have kept the books firmly as fond memories, but to be fair, I am 30 years old now, and am no longer the target audience. Cheers Mr Stine, to a chilling childhood!

[Noodar Yasmeen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ughh...

I read this book before but I guess I forgot cause I just re-read it. And to me, it sucked. I used to really really REALLY like goosebumps but I've lot my taste for them. The stories are too short and like I said in my other reviews, it's pointless.

I just don't like it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure I've read every single goosebumps book, at least that were out when I was a kid. I loved these when I was 10 and don't want to re-read because I know how corny it'll be now. This was one of the ones I liked and can remember, specially because watching the episode creeped me out. 👀🐱😂

[House of Goosebumps · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not enjoy, it took almost a month to read 😕🫤

[PageTurners; · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best R.L. Stine book ever. I make a chart about my fav authors and update it and I can successfully say that Stine is going from #4 to #3. Definitely recommend this one. You could not find such a 🐱astrophic yet amazingly written book with such a good plot anywhere.

4.82 ⭐️

[𝕽𝖔𝖞𝖆 ݁ᛪ༙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

فقط از روی کنجکاوی کتاب را خریداری کردم و برای کودکان و نوجوانان مناسب است.

[Troy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was very uninteresting.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, but also kinda gross.

[Remi · Rating 3 out of 5]

accidentally discovered that there were more goosebumps series for me to read!

this one wasn't bad, a bit annoying whenever the cat jumped out of nowhere, though.

[Tiffany Spencer]

Cry of the Cat (Goosebumps)
Alison is riding her bike on the way to school when she accidently hits a gray cat named Rip. The cat appears to be dead, (She sees its head come off). She goes over to the cat and picks up its lifeless body. Alison wants to find its owner. They see a haunted looking house with the door open. Halfway to the house, she hears and sees cats (and their cries). A girl comes out. When she sees the cat she cries out “Not Rip. Mom won’t like this.” Then the cat starts to move. Alison drops the cat and he scurries away. The gil looks scared. She says her name is Crystal. He tells her he’s not an ordinary cat and she shouldn’t have messed with him. Alison demands to know wjat she means. She tells her to go away, she doesn’t want the cat back, and slams the door on her.

At school, Alison tells her friend Ryan about Rip and the strange girl. Ryan says the cat must have just been in shock. During rehearsals, she hears a cat’s loud meow. No one else hears it, and they look at her like she’s crazy. The cat leaps out from a cabinet and attacks Alison. Alison flings the cat off her. He startles some boys lifting a throne, and they drop the throne on him. It’s the same cat and he’s dead. Then he jumps up and runs off the stage and disappears.

At dinner, mom’s allergies start to flare up while Alison is telling them about the cat. Alison tries to eat her mom’s chicken soup and finds cat fur. Alison finds her door locked. When she opens it, her collection of toy mice is scattered everywhere. It has to have been RIP. At lunch, Alison opens her lunch bag, and she finds Rip's head. Ryan opens the bag. There’s nothing there. He holds up an apple and asks if that’s what she saw. Alison runs out of the lunchroom.

At the next rehearsal, Alison is nervous to open the cabinet again, but she does, and there’s nothing there. That night, she has a dream and wakes up with a cat covering her face, attacking her. She heaves him off her, and he's hurled out the window. He hits the ground with a thump. Alison knows she’s killed him a third time. She goes out to examine him. It’s RIP. Alison screams at him. “Why are you doing this to me?” He awakens and swipes her leg. She hobbles back to the house before it can attack again. The cat keeps pawing in warning.

Alison checks her scratch. It’s bright white, but not bleeding. The next morning the deep, white, scratches are gone. Alison tries to tell her mom about RIP. She realizes she’s eaten three cans of tuna straight from the cans. At rehearsal, Alison is calld out for licking the back of her hand. Alision gets a phone call while rehearsing and leaps off the balcony off a ladder and lands on her back. Everyone stares at her. She jumps up and runs off. Not wanting to answer questions of why she did it bcause she doesn’t know herself.

She tries to tell her mom, but she’s not listening (distracted by her little brother). Her mother tells her to come home and watch her brother Tanner. She has to go visit her sister, and something's scared him. While making Tanner a sandwich, Alison coughs up a hairball. She decides to go speak to Crystal that night. Crystal tries to send her away at first. Then she asks how many times she’s killed RIP. She says he’s used up 8 lives. He’ll be desperate. She warns Alison to stay away from him and closes the door in her face. Alison tries to explain that RIP screatched her, but Crystal doesn’t open the door. Ryan then appears and asks her what’s going on.

She tells him she had questions, but the girl wouldn’t help because she’s terrified. Alison thinks she’s weird because she keeps bringing up her mom. When they look up, they’ve unconsciously found their way into a cemetery. Something grabs Alison’s ankle. It’s just a root. Alison realizes it’s a pet cemetary.

Alison sees the name RIP on oee of the gravestones. She thinks of Crystal's warning. She can’t kill RIP because he’s already dead. She starts to dig up RIP's grave. She tugs up the cat’s coffin and, in doing so, she falls into the grave. When she opens the coffin, the cat leaps out, and it lunges at her. She tries to fight it off, and they wrestle. Then she feels the cat being lifted off by Ryan, While he struggles with the cat, Ryan yells out for Alison to run. The cat lets out a cry that makes them freeze. Then gravestons start to fall over, and black smoke shoots up from the graves, and the air grows cold.

Ghost cats begin to float around Alison. They trap her and whirl faster and faster. Ryan is nowhere to b seen. Alison pushes her way through and starts to run. RIP and the ghosts follow. Alison runs to Crystal’s house and pounds on the door for hlp. The door swings open. Crystal grabs her and pulls her inside. Crystal hugs her and apologizes. She tells her RIP won’t stop until he ges what he wants (her life). She leads her toward the back of the house and tells her only her mom can save her. She tells her to go downstairs. She says its her mom’s lab. She says her mom’s had to deal with RIP and all his lives.

When Alison finally sees Crystal’s mom, she screams. She has cat ears and whiskers. Her arm has a cat paw at the end and she has a tail. She’s half woman, half cat. Crystal suddenly turns on Alison and say she and her mom are going to hold her there for RIP. Alison tries to run, but they easily catch her. Mom says she took one of RIPS lives so she’ll give up her life for him. She’s experimented on cats, but it didn’t work. RIP brought them back from the grave to be his slaves. Mom explains when he scratches you he takes a little of your life force. He wanted Crystal’s life, but her mom gave up some of hers for him. Now she has no more life to give up.

With each of his scratches, you become a little more like him. RIP appears with the dead ghost cats. Mom says she and Crystal are leaving, but Alison will stay with him forever. Alison realizes she has one of the mice she collects in her pocket. Ryan calls out to her and comes down the steps. RIP scratches Ryan. Alison throws the fake mouse at RIP. The other cats trample RIP as they try to get at the mouse. The swirling cloud of cats eventually vanish, and so does RIP.

Crystal and her mom come toward them, but thank them for freeing them. They say they’re getting the hell out of there. On the day (night) of the play, Ryan sees a field mouse in the grass and pounces on it (holding it in his mouth). Alison demands he give it to her. She saw it first.

Rating: 6. This one wasn’t horrible! The dead cat appearing everywhere and trying to smother Alison in her sleep was just creepy enough. So was the half-human half cat woman that wanted to turn Alison over to RIP. Then there’s the thought of what the ghost cats and RIP would have done to Alison if she hadn’t had the fake mouse.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

R.L. Stine and Scholastic, faced with declining sales for Goosebumps, rebranded it under the Series 2000 banner promising a darker, edgier take on children's horror. Cry of the Cat, the premiere entry in Series 2000, certainly sets the tone for the rest. Allison, a harried girl with a bratty brother, a yen for acting and a toy mouse collection (!), is distraught when she accidentally kills a black cat with her bike. More so when the cat comes back to life...even more when the cat's owner Crystal tells her that the cat, named Rip, is "no ordinary cat" and will seek revenge. After several days of ghoulish cat scares, Allison discovers that Rip literally has nine lives...and that he plans to turn her into one of his cat minions to stay alive. Stine already tried this premise in a short story, and while the plot's bit thin Cry of the Cat is certainly heavy on dread, atmosphere and craziness. Scholastic's mandate to make Goosebumps "darker" pays off: poor Rip dies so many times, in such absurd ways that you can't help feeling bad for him...at least until he decides to drain Allison's life force away. Stine certainly ramps up the violence to absurd levels, with some inspired elements of madness (a Dr. Moreau-type scientist, a phantom kitty twister) overcoming the thin plot and typically silly ending. Series 2000 proved to be a very mixed bag, but at least it started on a high note. Moral: don't run over undead cats.

[Fatoni M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fatoni Maraton Goosebumps Series 2000
Buku 1 dari 25

Alison tidak sengaja melindas kucing. Namun, dia kemudian menyaksikan sendiri kucing itu hidup lagi. Sejak saat itu dia diteror kucing itu: suara mengeong tanpa wujud, kedua mata kuning di mana-mana, serta perubahan aneh yang terjadi pada perilakunya.

Kalau dilihat dari sudut pandang orang dewasa, cerita ini agak disturbing. Anak kecil yang nggak sengaja melindas seekor kucing, dan setelah itu dia trauma sampai-sampai berhalusinasi. Ya kan?

Aku suka alurnya, dihantui kucing setan. Sayangnya hanya sedikit yang berlatar malam hari--padahal ini yang aku suka dari Goosebumps. Namun, kejadian di kuburan binatang peliharaan lumayan freak sih. Ending-nya sangat khas Goosebumps. Suka.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

No he actualizado nada de lo que he leído. Sólo puedo decir que casi terminé el reto de los juegos.

--
3/5
Ahora bien, se desarrolla de una manera rápida. Tiene que cubrir toda una historia de misterio en unas pocas páginas por lo que realmente los secretos van saliendo a lo loco. Así que si buscas quedarte con la duda mucho tiempo este libro no es para ti.
https://dementorreads.wordpress.com/2...

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally i never really scared easy but for some reason this one book really got to me, it's stupid now i look back on it and read but i do remember having nightmares after reading and watching the TV show. I can't imagine why now. Still its a book i love!

[Ricardo Sainz]

there is a girl that got scratch by a master cat and she was turning in to a cat because she fell of a tall building and didn't get hurt and then they took her to the hospital and gave her treatment and she was fine but hen in the night she turned in to a monster cat.

[Alex Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The better version of Claws. RIP is a scary villain even if they are just a cat (which isn’t entirely true since they are a literal god). Alison is an okay protagonist. The whole deal with Rip and Alison is actually pretty cool and made it a creative story. 8/10.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute, fun, and creepy adventure. Even better if you like cat's.

[سارة · Rating 5 out of 5]

قرأتها من 7سنين ولسه حاسة بقشعريرة من فراء القطة اللي حسيته وانا بقرأها
بجد تحفة

[Hassiba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read most of the Fear Street and Goosebumps series during middle school. As I remember them they were amazing Scary but not terrifying, and easy to read.