Gus makes a fuss / by Ella Shine illustrated by Lisa Flanagan.

5-8 years old.

The Barefoot Springs Pet Parade is coming up, but best friends Cassie and Lina aren't allowed to have pets. After all, it's chaos at Lina's house with three-year-old Timmy and twin babies, and Cassie's dad doesn't want another bad experience after what happened with the goldfish years ago. But when the girls are asked to pet sit Gus, the cat from next door, they take the responsibility seriously, hoping they can change their parent's minds. Gus can stay in Lina's barn, out of the way of the family, and the girls will look after him. "We're ready for anything" they say. But the best friends didn't count on discovering that adorable, fluffy Gus is a talking cat, and a grumpy one at that. What will they do when he escapes from the barn? Or when he returns to the house, determined to make a mess? It seems that pet sitting is a lot harder than first expected. And when Gus' owner turns up and takes him home before the girls have had a chance to prove their pet setting capabilities, they'll have to attend the Pet Parade without a pet of any sort. But grumpy, adorable Gus has a surprise for them when he turns up at the Parade.