Teaching a Cat New Tricks

I really, really like cats. I like pretending they have personalities, one of my favourite movies is Cats and Dogs, and while I do not have a cat of my own, I constantly ask my boyfriend if we can get one. So when I saw the ad for the Moscow Cats Theatre at the Ex, I was more than a little excited by the prospect of seeing trained cats do acrobatics. I think I let my imagination get the better of me, because the best trick they did was the one pictured above: the paw-stand.

Other cat tricks included walking on parallel bars, climbing tall, wobbly poles and jumping off of them into the arms of somewhat creepy cat trainer Yuri Kuklachev, pushing carts, turning lights on, and being clothed in princess outfits while balancing on a mirror ball. It was totally weird, but I think Yuri did a pretty good job with his chosen medium.

The music, sound, and all around clowning needs a makeover in this show. It was like being in that television show with the clown they used to make us watch in French class, where they'd replay the story over and over again. Kind of unsettling, not funny at all, and totally outdated.

I read in People Magazine afterward that Yuri rents a separate apartment for the cats in Brooklyn. I couldn't help imagining them hanging out in Williamsburg, sipping on lattes and talking about how awesome the latest Animal Collective record is before they have to head off to rehearsal...

Photo courtesy of www.moscowcatstheatre.com