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"Acro-Cats" Earn Lion's Share Of Fans With Purr-fect Act

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- For anyone who thinks cats are a little too into themselves to train, you might want to check out a show that's in Lawrenceville.

Samantha Martin travels the country with her Amazing Acro-Cats Show.

She has 13 cats, plus foster kittens, that all perform tricks.

Some jump through hoops, one rides a skateboard, another pushes a disco ball.

Opening night at the Grey Box Theatre was sold out, with shows planned through Tuesday.

At one point, cats play in a band of sorts -- complete with a guitar, drums and cowbell.

"The second most requested animal for movies and TV are cats, but cats notoriously hard to train, so I thought I'm going to go for the cats," said Martin.

In between movie and commercial gigs, she started the cat circus.

"The show kind of took on a life of its own, and people started showing up in droves when we had the show," she said.

The star of the show is a cat named "Tuna" who hits a bell for attention and also plays in the band.

Another cat raises his paw when a sign comes out asking, "Who is number one?"

Martin says she trains the cats with treats and positive reinforcement.

One couple came from Canton, Ohio, to see the show. Another man said, "I just wanted to see what this is. How it could even exist?"

There's also a performing chicken named Gregory Peck and a groundhog trained to raise the American flag.

The cats travel from city to city in a tour bus that looks like it belongs to rock band.

For more information: http://www.circuscats.com/

http://greyboxtheatre.com/

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