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The Great Pet Heist #4
The Great Catnapping
In this hilarious, high-stakes companion to The Great Pet Heist , The Great Ghost Hoax , and The Great Vandal Scandal , the pet friends take matters into their own paws—and tentacles—to rescue Walt and the white cat when they get catnapped.
The white cat, famous for being a spokes-cat for Beautiful Buffet Cat Food, is making a TV appearance at a supermarket opening, with Madison playing cat wrangler to the stars! The TV people want Walt, too, and everyone is excited for her to reach celebrity status—except Walt.
Unfortunately for the felines’ television debut, two cats loose in a supermarket is a recipe for disaster. Chaos erupts at the grand opening, and when the dust settles, the white cat and Walt are nowhere to be seen. They’ve been catnapped! The police are on the case, but their investigation isn’t moving fast enough to satisfy the cats’ worried friends. Desperate to get the snatched celebrities home safe and sound, Butterbean and the gang undertake a rescue mission of their own.
The white cat, famous for being a spokes-cat for Beautiful Buffet Cat Food, is making a TV appearance at a supermarket opening, with Madison playing cat wrangler to the stars! The TV people want Walt, too, and everyone is excited for her to reach celebrity status—except Walt.
Unfortunately for the felines’ television debut, two cats loose in a supermarket is a recipe for disaster. Chaos erupts at the grand opening, and when the dust settles, the white cat and Walt are nowhere to be seen. They’ve been catnapped! The police are on the case, but their investigation isn’t moving fast enough to satisfy the cats’ worried friends. Desperate to get the snatched celebrities home safe and sound, Butterbean and the gang undertake a rescue mission of their own.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published July 30, 2024
6 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Emily Ecton
16 books61 followersEmily Ecton is a former writer and producer for Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!, the NPR news quiz. She has also been a playwright, a chinchilla wrangler, an ice cream scooper and a costume character. After years of living in Chicago, she now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her dog, Binky.
Also writes under the name Emily Fairlie
Also writes under the name Emily Fairlie
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 12, 2024
Madison has a new job. She’s the new cat assistant for the famous white cat on the fifth floor of her building, the cat who’s in all those TV commercials. Madison has to accompany the white cat to the opening of a new supermarket, where the cat will make a celebrity appearance. Walt, the black cat, reluctantly has to come too. But once they get there, as the title suggest, both cats get catnapped. And it’s up to the other pets to solve the mystery and get the cats back home safely.
The beginning of this story really made me chuckle and it definitely feels like something any pet owner can relate to, so it’s a perfect start to a great story about pets. And this is just one example of just how great and perfectly suited for the concept the comedy is in this series.
The mystery plot is quite straight forward but good, it definitely manages to raise the tension and keeps you turning the pages. I also like that every book in this series feels so different in premise, and yet all those different stories perfectly fit the series.
The animal characters are not only absolutely adorable and delightful, they are the very heart of this series. While the previous book focused more on the dogs, this one now puts the spotlight more on the cats. Though every animal once again gets a chance to shine and they all have a distinct individual voice, which I very much appreciate.
Four books into this series and the author just seemingly effortlessly keeps knocking it out of the park. Another great installment in a fantastic series for animal lovers.
The beginning of this story really made me chuckle and it definitely feels like something any pet owner can relate to, so it’s a perfect start to a great story about pets. And this is just one example of just how great and perfectly suited for the concept the comedy is in this series.
The mystery plot is quite straight forward but good, it definitely manages to raise the tension and keeps you turning the pages. I also like that every book in this series feels so different in premise, and yet all those different stories perfectly fit the series.
The animal characters are not only absolutely adorable and delightful, they are the very heart of this series. While the previous book focused more on the dogs, this one now puts the spotlight more on the cats. Though every animal once again gets a chance to shine and they all have a distinct individual voice, which I very much appreciate.
Four books into this series and the author just seemingly effortlessly keeps knocking it out of the park. Another great installment in a fantastic series for animal lovers.
July 5, 2024
4.5
This is book 4, but it can be read as a standalone. Like the ones before, we have a hilarious adventure with plenty of animal characters. Perfect for fans of fast-paced action, adventure, and humor I this rescue mission for fans of movies like finding Dory. Makes a great relaxing and entertaining read for this summer.
The white cat, the "star," and Walt get "catnapped," and their friends will do whatever they have to to save them. Plot twist, we discover "Whodunit"
Not only do we follow Butterbean and more character animals, but we also read Maddison's (the girl) point of view as well. I love Biscuit. He is so much fun, and the rats Marco and Polo are too. Butterbean is clever and efficient.
This collection makes reading a fun activity.
I love the artist's drawing style with so much detail and expression.
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher for this e-copy.
This is book 4, but it can be read as a standalone. Like the ones before, we have a hilarious adventure with plenty of animal characters. Perfect for fans of fast-paced action, adventure, and humor I this rescue mission for fans of movies like finding Dory. Makes a great relaxing and entertaining read for this summer.
The white cat, the "star," and Walt get "catnapped," and their friends will do whatever they have to to save them. Plot twist, we discover "Whodunit"
Not only do we follow Butterbean and more character animals, but we also read Maddison's (the girl) point of view as well. I love Biscuit. He is so much fun, and the rats Marco and Polo are too. Butterbean is clever and efficient.
This collection makes reading a fun activity.
I love the artist's drawing style with so much detail and expression.
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher for this e-copy.
Read
August 23, 2024How? More audio book at night with the kiddo.
What? The 4th book in this pets-sorta-fighting-crime series. I mean, the first book started with them wanting to pull a heist and then almost accidentally catching robbers; the second had them _eventually_ foiling some ghost hoaxers; and the third... well, they had to clear someone's name by showing that raccoons were the vandals.
But in this one, the crime is pretty big and right from the start: someone has catnapped -- and is holding for ransom -- two cats from the pets squad. It's a little more menacing in parts, but of course, the animals pull it off in the end.
Yeah, so? So--I just wish we had kept with the 4-word title where the last two words had some rhyme. (Vandal Scandal being the most rhymy; Pet Heist being the least.) Still fun, though I don't want to underestimate the difficulty of maintaining that fun dynamic when you split the group. Also: at some point, more of the animals leave the humans, and there's sort of a sad moment when the old lady sees how few pets she has left. We know they're coming back, but if you let yourself consider for too long what she might feel, you may get a little down.
What? The 4th book in this pets-sorta-fighting-crime series. I mean, the first book started with them wanting to pull a heist and then almost accidentally catching robbers; the second had them _eventually_ foiling some ghost hoaxers; and the third... well, they had to clear someone's name by showing that raccoons were the vandals.
But in this one, the crime is pretty big and right from the start: someone has catnapped -- and is holding for ransom -- two cats from the pets squad. It's a little more menacing in parts, but of course, the animals pull it off in the end.
Yeah, so? So--I just wish we had kept with the 4-word title where the last two words had some rhyme. (Vandal Scandal being the most rhymy; Pet Heist being the least.) Still fun, though I don't want to underestimate the difficulty of maintaining that fun dynamic when you split the group. Also: at some point, more of the animals leave the humans, and there's sort of a sad moment when the old lady sees how few pets she has left. We know they're coming back, but if you let yourself consider for too long what she might feel, you may get a little down.
January 28, 2025
3.5 stars
Book 4 in the series
Butterbean and the crew from their apartment building are on the case once again! Madison has been asked to be a cat wrangler at a brand new grocery store where the white cat and Walt will both be featured at a display for Beautiful Buffet Cat Food. However, when both cats go missing during a disturbance during the grand opening, the animals think they can do a better job of finding them than the police. (They may be right!)
The animal communication network is impressive and anyone who has pets will be sure that their own animals are participants in such a thing in their own neighborhood. It helps to have read the other books in the series to know who is who plus a few references to previous exploits. Savvy readers will quickly figure out the culprit but still enjoy how the case is solved.
Book 4 in the series
Butterbean and the crew from their apartment building are on the case once again! Madison has been asked to be a cat wrangler at a brand new grocery store where the white cat and Walt will both be featured at a display for Beautiful Buffet Cat Food. However, when both cats go missing during a disturbance during the grand opening, the animals think they can do a better job of finding them than the police. (They may be right!)
The animal communication network is impressive and anyone who has pets will be sure that their own animals are participants in such a thing in their own neighborhood. It helps to have read the other books in the series to know who is who plus a few references to previous exploits. Savvy readers will quickly figure out the culprit but still enjoy how the case is solved.
January 18, 2025
This may be my favorite Pet Heist since the very first one. Here are five reasons why:
😻Walt gets catnapped! Can her fellow pet heist partners return her to Mrs. Food? Leia the goldfish might be more helpful than Chad the octopus thinks she will. He is quite the curmudgeon.🐙
🚗There is a scene where multiple animals try to drive a car. Animal comedy gold!
👧Madison is really developing a great relationship with Mrs. Food and all the pets.
😽The white cat on fifth floor has a gig promoting Beautiful Buffet Cat Food. Her 'acting' is a hoot.
😽😻🐶🐀🐀🐀🦜The pet heist team has a range of reactions to the new Rumba. Could they all fit on top?
😻Walt gets catnapped! Can her fellow pet heist partners return her to Mrs. Food? Leia the goldfish might be more helpful than Chad the octopus thinks she will. He is quite the curmudgeon.🐙
🚗There is a scene where multiple animals try to drive a car. Animal comedy gold!
👧Madison is really developing a great relationship with Mrs. Food and all the pets.
😽The white cat on fifth floor has a gig promoting Beautiful Buffet Cat Food. Her 'acting' is a hoot.
😽😻🐶🐀🐀🐀🦜The pet heist team has a range of reactions to the new Rumba. Could they all fit on top?
February 7, 2025
I absolutely love this book! My favorite apartment pets are back! In the fourth installment of The Great Pet Heist, the team has to work together to save one of their own from a sneaky kidnapper.
Ecton’s stories are amazing! I love to see how the characters grow with each book. Butterbean is my absolute favorite! Ecton’s humor is also spot on. I can totally picture my fur babies talking like these pets.
I highly recommend this book for pet lovers of all ages!
Ecton’s stories are amazing! I love to see how the characters grow with each book. Butterbean is my absolute favorite! Ecton’s humor is also spot on. I can totally picture my fur babies talking like these pets.
I highly recommend this book for pet lovers of all ages!
June 20, 2025
Probably my favorite one since the first book! I really enjoyed how you don't know who the "kidnappers" are until half way through the book. And of course, Butterbean is still my favorite.
One very minor character (who is in one chapter), takes the Lord's name in vain.
Mentioned in MG Bundle
One very minor character (who is in one chapter), takes the Lord's name in vain.
Mentioned in MG Bundle
October 12, 2024
Butterbean is my favourite. Outside Biscuit was so funny. I liked when they drove the car.
January 14, 2025
My kid can't get enough of Butterbean or of this audiobook series! She's been listening to it non-stop for a month.
Fingers crossed for a new installment!
Fingers crossed for a new installment!
April 20, 2025
Walt (cat) and the white cat (spokescat for Beautiful Buffet Cat Food) are catnapped at a supermarket opening. Their animal friends set out to rescue them.
October 3, 2024
Audiobook
I love this series and the audiobooks are great, too! The characters are adorable and act/speak like you would think animals would. The tail injury was a little much, but I'm sure kids would love it. I can't wait to see what they are up to next.
I love this series and the audiobooks are great, too! The characters are adorable and act/speak like you would think animals would. The tail injury was a little much, but I'm sure kids would love it. I can't wait to see what they are up to next.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews