Cat Circuses Make a Comeback

Posted by Jennifer Copley Jun 6, 2008

In 1894, Professor Henry Welton’s Cat Circus travelled around New York, playing on roof gardens and in Vaudeville houses. According to Kino.com’s “Edison, the Invention of the Movies,” Welton’s cats were able to turn somersaults, walk through fire, ride bicycles and engage in human-style sparring matches in a small boxing ring wearing little fighting gloves. A video of the boxing cats can be viewed here.

In recent years, the cat circus tradition has been revived by a professional Russian clown named Yuri Kuklachev. The Kuklachev family operates a Cat Theatre, employing more than 120 trained cats who perform with human clowns and a dog. The cat circus has gone on tour, visiting Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and other cities, and generating rave reviews. Kuklachev’s cats walk tightropes, do pawstands, dance and perform a variety of other tricks. NBC10.com offers a slide show of the cats performing acrobatic tricks.

The secret to Kuklachev’s success is his understanding of feline psychology. He notes that "you cannot force a cat to do anything that it does not want to do." Kuklachev’s trainers observe the cats from the time they are kittens to see what they enjoy doing. They then train them to put on performances based on their individual talents and preferences.

In addition to performing in circuses, cats have competed in agility contests, saved lives and worked as therapy animals.