Maria moved to Ohio to begin her new singing career as she had promised, with Olga proudly accompanying her. Neither the cats nor the humans were particularly upset to see either of them leave. Maria ...

The orchestra played the overture to the humans’ production, sending shivers across Roxanne’s slender shoulders. Beside her, Harry wore a pleased expression on his face. They sat on the banister, in t...

Kip yawned. He had been sleeping for a long time, but he didn’t feel up to leaving the green room yet. During performances, singers waited in the green room when they were unneeded, and at the moment ...

Susannah stumbled down the carpeted stairs to the sixth floor. She traced her hands along the black wallpaper, her fingers tapping out a bouncy rhythm to keep stepping in time with; it made her less a...

Harry swatted at a rat that had leaped too close to him. Roxanne’s face surfaced in his mind, giving him the courage to keep fighting. But as more rats clawed and bit and darted at him, he became over...

Earlier in the night, by some strange blessing, the overture had reached Roxanne’s ears down in the lowest level of the opera house. It must have come through the ventilation system, but whatever the ...

Harry shivered. The air had grown colder, and the passage floor along with it, making his paws feel like ice chips. He wondered how much time had passed since they first entered the passage, but he de...

Alfredo and Cecil waited until the humans left the stage. When everyone had gone, the two cats sneaked out from their hiding spot under a prop sofa and crept to the stage. Side by side, the cats sniff...

Susannah stood trembling on the stage. Her stomach flip-flopped, making her wish she hadn’t eaten the measly piece of toast earlier. Her skin prickled with anticipation. The curtain had yet to rise, a...

The Opera Cats bustled about the fifth floor, waiting for Norb to return. He had gone off to watch part of the humans' operetta to see how it fared. Sometimes, Norb would make changes to the Opera Cat...

Human voices rose from the hallway, and shoes clattered on the foyer floor. Harry and Kip watched people enter the opera house clad in black cloaks, bright feathers, top hats, and shiny shoes. Several...

In the middle of the room Roxanne sat, staring at the pages scattered on the floor around her. The floor lamp’s dim light barely shed enough illumination for Roxanne to see the marks on the papers. Cu...

Susannah sang quietly to herself. She rehearsed Malena’s songs whenever she had time, which, as of late, seemed to be something she had too much of. Since she still happened to be Maria’s understudy (...

Harry scurried to the next room. It was the last one down the costume department’s hallway, and he recognized it as the room where he’d lost Kip the first time he’d encountered the strange cat. Most o...

When Roxanne opened her eyes, cold fear spread throughout her entire body. The strange smell of the dank room made her cough. The cushions she reclined on felt filmy with age. The crusty fabric of the...

He shouldn’t have let her go. He shouldn’t have let her go! As evening fell, the opera house’s lights illuminated the New York City skyline in a bright blaze. Harry paced on the opera’s rooftop, the w...

Roxanne’s whiskers twitched. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Beneath her paws, a brown carpet with red flowers spread out across the floor. She wondered when Lady had acquired a new rug for the dressing ...

Susannah stood backstage, listening to Maria sing her part in “Making a Venus.” Susannah felt grateful she’d been chosen for one of the Maidens, although she only sang a small part in one song. One so...

Roxanne hurried to the sixth floor, where the ornate costumes for the human operas were created. Often the hum of sewing machines thrummed throughout the department, but not tonight. Roxanne kept runn...

That night, after all the humans had left the Shelley Opera House, the cats gathered in the foyer to hold their party. Moonlight filtered through the large windows, bathing the cats in silver pools of...

Susannah stirred her cup of tea. She and Phillip sat outside Dottie’s Café, where a warm breeze played at Susannah’s hair. She smiled. Spring was her favorite season, mostly because of the promise of ...

Roxanne trembled. The night breeze riffled her short red fur, and her amber eyes shone in the moonlight. She was about to go onstage for her solo—her very first one—but she could barely stand still or...

Maria moved to Ohio to begin her new singing career as she had promised, with Olga proudly accompanying her. Neither the cats nor the humans were particularly upset to see either of them leave. Maria ...

The orchestra played the overture to the humans’ production, sending shivers across Roxanne’s slender shoulders. Beside her, Harry wore a pleased expression on his face. They sat on the banister, in t...

Kip yawned. He had been sleeping for a long time, but he didn’t feel up to leaving the green room yet. During performances, singers waited in the green room when they were unneeded, and at the moment ...

Susannah stumbled down the carpeted stairs to the sixth floor. She traced her hands along the black wallpaper, her fingers tapping out a bouncy rhythm to keep stepping in time with; it made her less a...

Harry swatted at a rat that had leaped too close to him. Roxanne’s face surfaced in his mind, giving him the courage to keep fighting. But as more rats clawed and bit and darted at him, he became over...

Earlier in the night, by some strange blessing, the overture reached Roxanne’s ears down in the lowest level of the opera house. It must have come through the ventilation system, but whatever the meth...

Harry shivered. The air had grown colder, and the passage floor along with it, making his paws feel like ice chips. He wondered how much time had passed since they first entered the passage, but he de...

Alfredo and Cecil waited until the humans left the stage. When everyone had gone, the two cats sneaked out from their hiding spot under a prop sofa and crept to the stage. Side by side, the cats sniff...

Susannah stood trembling on the stage. Her stomach flip-flopped, making her wish she hadn’t eaten the measly piece of toast earlier. Her skin prickled with anticipation. The curtain had yet to rise, a...

The Opera Cats bustled about the fifth floor, waiting for Norb to return. He had gone off to watch part of the humans' operetta to see how it fared. Sometimes, Norb would make changes to the Opera Cat...

Human voices rose from the hallway, and shoes clattered on the foyer floor. Harry and Kip watched people enter the opera house clad in black cloaks, bright feathers, top hats, and shiny shoes. Several...

In the middle of the room Roxanne sat, staring at the pages scattered on the floor around her. The floor lamp’s dim light barely shed enough illumination for Roxanne to see the marks on the papers. Cu...

Susannah sang quietly to herself. She rehearsed Malena’s songs whenever she had time, which, as of late, seemed to be something she had too much of. Since she still happened to be Maria’s understudy (...

Harry scurried to the next room. It was the last one down the costume department’s hallway, and he recognized it as the room where he’d lost Kip the first time he’d encountered the strange cat. Most o...

When Roxanne opened her eyes, cold fear spread throughout her entire body. The strange smell of the dank room made her cough. The cushions she reclined on felt filmy with age. The crusty fabric of the...

He shouldn’t have let her go. He shouldn’t have let her go! As evening fell, the opera house’s lights illuminated the New York City skyline in a bright blaze. Harry paced on the opera’s rooftop, the w...