It is the coldest part of winter and all of the male cats in the Club of Mysteries -- which meets over Murphy's garage -- have one thing on their minds: Carlotta. Has anyone seen the she-cat that they all adore? Has she had her kittens yet? Because they all know that once Carlotta and her kittens appear, it will be their job not only to protect the young ones from the dangers of the world -- including being discovered and taken to the pound -- but also to teach them the skills they'll need to survive.

Elvis plans to teach them to sing. Polo will teach them to leap. Marco, of course, will teach them to read, and Texas Jake, the imposing leader of the Club, will teach them how to hunt. Underlying all of their efforts is each cat's secret hope that he will shine brightest in Carlotta's eyes.

But the male cats soon learn that Hamburger, Scamper, Mustard, Sugar, and Catnip (as the kittens are named) are more of a handful than they had expected.