Exploding Purple Caterpillar Traumatizes Local Cat

One of my sisters has 4 cats.  One elderly matriarch who benignly rules over all, an enormous female who unsuccessfully tries to bully everybody (my sister does not tolerate bullies of any species), her tiny sweet cuddle bug of a sister, and Max, the lone male.  Max is a mild mannered boy who quietly goes about his business occasionally soliciting a pet, avoiding the drama the others create, and avidly exploring any new thing that enters his world.
 
This weekend, that new thing was a favorite toy of my sister’s grandson, a purple caterpillar that sings the ABCs as you pull it across the floor.  Max found it in the upstairs hallway and unfortunately got tangled in the rope.  He sniffed it, found it uninteresting and walked away, but it followed him merrily singing the ABCs!  He started to run, and it just sang faster! 
 
Panicked, he flew down the stairs with the purple monster bouncing off the walls and railings, reached the first floor and raced from room to room trying to flee the now exploding toy with legs and antennae and microchips landing everywhere.  *It wasn’t singing anymore.*  Max ran back upstairs, now chased by my sister as well as the rapidly disintegrating caterpillar and took refuge under my sister’s bed. 
 
As soon as he stopped running, he was able to step easily away from the rope.  My sister gathered up what remained of the toy and quietly left the room.  She was met at the bottom of the stairs by 3 stunned cats, and a trail of debris strewn all over the house!
 
Max is fine now.  He emerged from under the bed about two hours after his ordeal shaken but not hurt.  My sister says she is still finding little pieces of the dead caterpillar.