For ages 9-12. L Rifkin proves once and for all that every cat is born to live and die nine times. In fact, the familiar myth is turned completely on its head in this remarkable book. The secret world of cats is revealed in this epic tale of feline civil war, where we meet young Romeo, a stray who finds himself battered between two very different worlds. It's the domestic cats, the Sticks vs the street cats, the Alleys. As battle lines are drawn, warriors train for combat and a hero emerges to inspire a nation. Fraught with danger from page one, Romeo loses his family at the claws of Fidel and his gang of vicious Alleys. After being rescued from the Pound, Romeo finds a new home with 'his person', 9-year-old Dennis Crumb. As long as Romeo stays inside with his adopted family he's safe, however, when he ventures out he finds danger lurking around every corner. Fortunately, Queen Elizabeth, a wise cat who lives nearby, befriends Romeo. She takes him to the Factory, a burned-out building where other Sticks secretly learn how to defend themselves from the Alleys and the indifferent humans of the city.