Leo and the Great Cat Parade

Leo loved inventions.

In fact, Leo loved inventions so much

that the whole neighborhood now had a sign:

Caution: Leo Testing Something New Today."

But there was one thing Leo loved just as much as inventing:

cats.

Fluffy cats, stripey cats, bold cats, shy cats –

Leo loved them all.

And one sunny morning, Leo noticed something curious.

The Cat Idea

The cats were coming for lunch, tails swishing.

The Clever Cat Machine went ding! ding! as they ate.

But today, they weren't just eating.

They were… moving.

Stripey Cat twirled around Whiskers.

Pebble bounced on tiny paws.

Even old Mr. Mittens hopped.

Leo's mouth dropped open.

"A CAT PARADE!" Leo shouted.

"Amazing! Incredible! Brilliant!"

The cats paused.

Then, as if they agreed, they all flicked their tails.

The Plan

That night, Leo filled page after page in a notebook:

Cats riding floats

Cats wearing hats

Cats marching to music

At the very bottom of the page, in big letters:

"The Great Cat Parade!"

"Perfect," Leo whispered.

"Now I just need help."

The Team

In the morning, Leo knocked on Aya's door.

"I need help with a top-secret, cat-sized idea!"

Aya grinned.

"If it involves cats, I'm in."

Next, they found Lumi in the park, arranging shiny stones.

"Want to join?" Leo asked.

"There will be hats."

Lumi nodded.

"I'll come."

Building the Float

In Leo's backyard, they gathered supplies:

an old red wagon,

wood, string, a blanket,

and a bright umbrella.

They worked together:

Aya sketched the plan.

Leo hammered and tightened things.

Lumi sorted the pieces into neat rows.

By lunchtime, the float was ready:

A ramp for shy cats,

A soft blanket for kittens,

A high perch for Stripey Cat.

It wasn't fancy, but it was sturdy.

Costumes

Next came costumes.

Lumi brought a box of fabric scraps.

They made:

a tiny purple cape,

a green feather hat,

a polka-dot bow tie,

and a little paper crown.

Pebble curled up inside the bow tie and fell asleep.

Training Day

"Okay," Leo said. "Lesson one: marching!"

Aya tapped a drum.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The cats blinked.

And sat down.

"Lesson two: following the float!"

Leo pulled the float.

Stripey jumped on top and fell asleep.

The others followed only because Lumi sprinkled treats.

Leo sighed.

"This is going to be harder than I thought."

Parade Day

Finally, parade day arrived!

They decorated the float with ribbons and flowers.

The cats (somewhat unwillingly) wore their costumes.

Neighbors came outside, curious.

"Ready?" Aya asked.

"Ready!" Leo said.

Leo pulled the float.

Aya played the drum: Boom. Boom. Boom!

Lumi marched proudly with a big sign:

"CAT PARADE!"

At first, everything was perfect.

Whiskers strutted.

Stripey sat like a king.

Pebble peeked out, looking proud.

People clapped and laughed.

Trouble

Then… pigeons.

Dozens of them swooped down, flapping their wings.

The cats froze.

Then they leapt.

Cats chased pigeons, pigeons squawked,

costumes flew everywhere.

"Come back!" Leo shouted.

Aya drummed faster.

Lumi waved the sign like a flag.

The parade was pure chaos.

The Clever Save

Thinking fast, Leo ran back to the yard.

The Clever Cat Machine sat waiting.

Leo rang the bell:

DING! DING! DING!

All at once, the cats returned,

one by one, to their machine.

The pigeons flew off.

Peace returned.

The Ending

Even though the parade hadn't gone as planned,

the neighbors clapped and cheered.

"That," Mrs. Parker said, "was the silliest, happiest thing I've ever seen."

Leo laughed.

"Well, maybe next time we'll try a dog parade!"

The cats, already munching snacks,

looked like they strongly disagreed.

That night, Leo added a new page to the notebook:

"Next time: Pigeon-Proof Cat Parade (with hats)."

Outside, the cats curled up on their float,

dreaming of feathers, drums,

and the next great parade.

🎪