Mama went to the Chicagoland Pet Expo, and she saw some really talented cats! The Amazing Acro-Cats put on a show where a group of kitties did all sorts of tricks! They did tricks like climb things, walk on high places, jump up and down, ring bells, go bowling, and push each other around in shopping carts. The cool thing was that they were all things that the kitties did naturally... but their trainer, Samantha, had figured out ways of getting them to do things on command! (Well... maybe kitties don't naturally balance on balls or push each other around in shopping carts. But they didn't seem to mind it much!)
One of the basic things the kitties did was run into their carrier every time they heard a whistle. Samantha said this was an important thing for all kitties to learn. Imagine if your house is on fire, and instead of running around frantically searching for your kitty, who might be hiding, all you have to do is blow a whistle and the kitty runs into his carrier!
She also said that the biggest difference between training cats and training dogs was that dogs will work because they want to please you, but cats want to get paid every single time! So, if you are training cats, you have to have lots of delicious treats ready at all times.
Want to know something else these cool cats did? They had their own rock band! There was a cat playing the guitar, a cat playing the drums, a cat playing the cow bell... and a chicken playing the tambourine.
Yes, I said a chicken playing the tambourine! The chicken also bowls, by the way. And he usually beats the cats.
One more awesome thing about these cats? Most of them came from shelters or rescue organizations. Samantha continues to foster cats and kittens who are in need of forever homes. She teaches the foster cats tricks, too, to make them more adoptable. Sometimes a foster cat gets along so well with the rest of the group, it becomes part of the show!
You should check out their website, Amazing Animals By Samantha. They live in Chicago (like us!!!) but they travel around to different states, and their shows are very inexpensive. Besides the cat shows, they have other programs, including a reptile show, and they will perform at birthday parties, schools, and other gatherings. So, check out the site and see if they're coming to your town anytime soon!
Did you like that Smarty Sunday? Now excuse me while I go push Lily around in a shopping cart. (LOL! As if!)
