"Dust mop!" repeated Amanda, outraged. "How dare you - " "And she's a dumb dust mop, too," said Hannie. "She can't even do any tricks." "So what?" asked Amanda. "She's a cat, not a dog. Cats aren't supposed to do tricks." "Pat the cat can do tricks," said Hannie. "She can dance around on her hind legs." She smiled meanly at Amanda. "The judges are going to love her," she said.

    Kristy thought it was time to change the subject - or at least to get the focus of the conversation off cats.

    "Who are you going to enter, Linny?" she asked.

    He smiled at her. Linny can be a little shy, but he's great if you draw him out. "I'm going to enter Myrtle," he said. "I'm going to paint her shell so she looks really cool." "Great!" said Kristy. Then she looked over at Scott and Timmy. They looked a little downcast. "What about you guys?" she asked.

    "We don't have any pets," said Timmy.

    "So I guess we can't enter the show.".

    Before Kristy could begin to comfort them, Karen spoke up. "You can borrow Boo-Boo!" she said. "He might not win, but at least you'd have a pet to enter." Timmy's eyes lit up.

    "And you can borrow Noodle, Scott!" said Hannie. "After all, you are my husband. Noodle's kind of like your pet, too, right?" Kristy looked seriously at Hannie and Karen. "Are you guys sure about that?" she asked. "Lending your pet to somebody is kind of a big deal." She didn't want to see any more fights spring up.

    "Hmmm . . ." said Karen. "Maybe you're right. Forget it, Timmy. What if Boo-Boo did win a prize? Then I'd be mad." "I didn't think of that," said Hannie. "I take it back, Scott.