The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Enid Blyton |
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| Illustrator | Joseph Abbey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Five Find-Outers |
| Genre | Children's mystery |
| Publisher | Methuen and Co Ltd |
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Publication date
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1944 |
| Preceded by | The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage |
| Followed by | The Mystery of the Secret Room |
The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat is a thrilling children's mystery novel written by Enid Blyton. Published in 1944, it is the second book in her popular Five Find-Outers series. This exciting story, published by Methuen and Co Ltd, follows the first book, The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage. In this adventure, a group of clever children work together to solve the puzzling case of a stolen cat.
Contents
What is the Story About?
The story begins when Luke, a friend of the Five Find-Outers, is helping in Lady Candling's garden. Suddenly, her very valuable Siamese cat goes missing! The Five Find-Outers, along with their loyal dog, Buster, decide to take on the case. They are determined to find out what happened to the cat and who took it.
Who are the Characters?
This mystery features a fun group of characters, including the young detectives and the people they meet during their investigation.
The Main Detectives
- Elizabeth "Bets" Hilton — She is the youngest member of the Five Find-Outers and Dog team.
- Philip "Pip" Hilton — Pip is Bets's brother and also a key member of the detective group.
- Lawrence "Larry" Daykin — Larry is often seen as the leader of the Five Find-Outers and Dog.
- Margaret "Daisy" Daykin — Daisy is Larry's sister and the person who first thought of creating The Five Find-Outers and Dog.
- Frederick Algernon "Fatty" Trotterville — Fatty is known as the smartest of the Find-Outers. He often takes the lead in solving puzzles.
- Buster — Buster is Fatty's loyal Scottish Terrier dog, who helps the team with his keen senses.
- Mr Goon — He is the village policeman. Mr Goon often struggles to solve cases on his own, which leaves room for the children to shine.
Other Important People
- Luke — Luke is a fifteen-year-old assistant gardener who works for Mr. Tupping. He is a friend of the Five Find-Outers and becomes the main person suspected of taking the cat.
- Lady Candling — She is the owner of the precious Siamese cat, Dark Queen, that goes missing.
- Miss Harmer — Miss Harmer is responsible for looking after Lady Candling's many cats.
- Miss Trimble — She is Lady Candling's companion and seems quite afraid of the strict gardener, Mr. Tupping.
- Mr. Tupping — Mr. Tupping is Lady Candling's gardener. He is known for being rude, bad-tempered, and unkind to Luke.
How Do the Find-Outers Solve the Mystery?
The mystery unfolds right next door to Pip and Bets Hilton's home. Lady Candling's special cat, Dark Queen, vanishes while Luke, the gardener's helper, is nearby. The children immediately suspect Mr. Tupping, the grumpy gardener. But how could he have taken the cat if he wasn't even there at the time?
All the clues seem to point to poor Luke, but the Find-Outers are sure he isn't the thief. They also consider other people who work for Lady Candling, like Miss Harmer, who cares for the cats, and Miss Trimble, who looks after the roses. The children are almost certain Mr. Tupping is involved, but they can't figure out how he did it.
The solution to the mystery is quite clever and simple! Mr. Tupping actually took Dark Queen in the morning. To trick everyone, he painted a small cream-colored patch on the tail of another cat. This made it look just like Dark Queen, who had a similar mark on her tail from a bite. He then made sure Luke was working near the cat's cage all day. This way, Luke would be the first person everyone suspected.
Later that afternoon, Mr. Tupping secretly went into the cage. He used a rag with paint remover to wipe off the fake cream patch from the other cat's tail. Then, he loudly announced that Dark Queen was gone! In the end, the Five Find-Outers uncovered Mr. Tupping's trick. They also discovered he had been involved in similar animal-related mysteries before.
