Cats in Cyperspace

Fluffy and PKP #1

by Beth Hilgartner

A book for anyone who has ever been owned by a cat... It's a cat's life for Fluffy and PKP until their two-feet companions have to take a JOB out of the home. Gone are the days of snacks on demand and Quality Time petting and purring. Instead, Fluffy is left at the mercy of her psychotically aggressive sister, PKP (that's Princess KILLER Pinknose, to you!) while Dana and Colin work as wage slaves. It won't do! Fortunately for Fluffy, when Dana tries to introduce Colin to the Internet, Inspiration-with-a-capital-I strikes. Fluffy takes matters into her own capable paws, and before you can say "dogs are stupid" the two felines are racing along in the fast lane of the Information Superhighway. Well, technology is a great thing, but the Superhighway still has plenty of potholes. From the difficulties of reining in PKP's killer instincts ("What do you mean insider information is illegal?") to the Pizza Problem, Fluffy has her paws full as the two cats navigate their way toward complete financial freedom for their two-feet pals.

Genres: Fantasy

248 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2001

About the author

Beth Hilgartner has published ten books. In addition to her writing, she is an Episcopal priest (now retired), a musician (recorders and voice), a musical editor (modern performing editions of relatively unknown 17th and 18th century composers), an equestrian (dressage), an accomplished knitter, and an avid gardener. She returns to the publishing scene with The Ivory Mask (which she promises, absolutely, is NOT the first book in a series!), after a prolonged absence during which other priorities bumped writing to the bottom of the To Do list. She lives in Vermont with her husband of 45 years, their two cats (Lewis and Clark) and her elderly dressage horse, Solace.

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's enough to make you purr...

This is definitely a book for cat people - and anyone else who likes to laugh. Bored but intelligent kitties discover the world of cyberspace and online trading - and the world is never the same... It's cute, amusing and entertaining. What more can you ask?

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is pure wish-fulfillment fantasy (but fun) -- a struggling writer and her musician husband are saved from wage-slavery by Fluffy & PKP [note 1], their Web-savvy, entrepreneurial pets. It's a pretty slight idea to support a novel, but it's short, clever, and has a bravura finish. Recommended, especially for struggling artists. And, of course, silly cat-story fans. 3.5 stars

Extra points for the cute cover, by artist Ed Cox.
____________
Note 1) --that's Princess Killer Pinknose.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cats in Cyberspace is a fantasy (wish-fulfillment?) novel where in two cats Fluffy and PKP (Princess Killer Pinknose) set out determined to find a way to keep their two-feets home more often. The cats take a deep dive into dial-up internet, investments, and other online antics all while having to deal with very real world problems of feline, canine, and two-feet variety.

I first read this book over a decade ago at the insistence of a friend and I loved it. Then I returned it to her and forgot all about it until recently. It was a pain to find since I only remembered the basic plot and PKP's name and killer antics. This one held up to the test of time and I'd say is a must read for all cat lovers. A lot of the computer language is from another age but that just adds to the nostalgia of reading this book which made me laugh out loud (literally) several times.

There was one thing that annoyed me beyond reason and I'll put it in spoiler tags but it's the one reason I could not in good faith give this book 5 stars. This year, I'm trying to be more discerning about 5 star ratings and this one part annoyed me --- A LOT!

So, before anyone accuses me of hating dogs, I'm an animal lover in general. I love dogs and cats and currently only have cats. BUT I LOVE DOGS. So, there is a part where their family vists and brings the dog which torments both PKP and Fluffy. I know this happens all the time but I'm the sort of person who considers animals family and nope, just nope. If someone tried to bring a dog/cat/t-rex/whatever the hell ever into my house and it attempted to torment my cats it'd be gone. If their owners didn't like it, they could leave to. That's just where I stand on it. My cats live here, others don't. In the book, this made me really dislike Dana and Colin because they could've easily prevented this. I know, I know, it's fiction and the dog made for some funny scenes. But this still rubbed me the wrong way. Would I still recommend it to all cat lovers? Yep. But this will annoy a lot of my 'cat people' friends too.

[Catie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think you would have to know and love cats to enjoy this book. The cat trading is an engaging lunacy, but the main pleasure is in the sharply observed interractions between the cat and two-feet characters.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. I've been reading cat stuff galore (Garfield, Warriors) 'cuz I'm cat CRAZY! The only reason I gave it four stars is because I'm 10 years of age, and couldn't understand the computer talk (Fidelity?). But still, an awesome book. GO PKP! =^..^=

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventure filled with suspense

Set in the age of dial up internet, two enterprising cats hatch a plot to solve their problems. But one simple idea leads to hilarious complications.

[Diana Sandberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the merely cute I was expecting. Still not deep, nor does it aspire to be, but quite amusing and good fun.