Cry of the Cat, by Emily Rodda

Shadow usually goes for an evening stroll and then climbs up the gum tree, leaps onto the balcony and crawls through the window to curl up on the end of my bed. Then she sleeps there for the rest of the night. But tonight she was missing, just like Mooshka and the others. What if she’d been run over?

Something is happening to the cats of Raven Hill. All over town cats are going missing. And of course, the Teen Power gang are caught up in the mystery.

When they get an after school job at Purrfection, the local cat store, the Teen Power crew think it will be an interesting way to earn some cash. But the store gives them the creeps. Then, when one of the teens, Elmo, loses his cat, they wonder if the strange owners of Purrfection could be involved. They have to find Shadow, and the other missing cats, before it is too late.

Cry of the Cat is the fourth title in the Raven Hill Mysteries series by Emily Rodda, perhaps best known for her Deltora Quest and Rowan of Rin series. Whilst this series is different from the others, which are both fantasies, young readers will enjoy the Raven Hill stories, which were previously published under the series title of Teen Power. Rodda combines mystery with themes of friendship and independence, and the six teen characters take turns narrating the tales, allowing readers to get to know each character well.

Cry of the Cat, by Emily Rodda
Scholastic, 2004