I was on holiday in Florida recently, and I went to see a show which had lots of animals in it, including cats. These cats where running across the stage on que, pressing levers to open doors, one walked accross a tightrope......
I was impressed, but also wondered, is it cruel? It's not natural behaviour, but usually, if a cat doesn't want to do something, they just won't?
They said they got all their cats from shelters, and chose ones which were food motivated, which made it easier to train.
I met one of the cats afterwards, and she felt quite skinny. :-( the lady with her was rewarding her with treats all the time.
The cat was so good though she stayed right by her trainer. How is it possible to do this? A regular cat would just run right off the stage.....
Does anyone know much about this?
I was impressed, but also wondered, is it cruel? It's not natural behaviour, but usually, if a cat doesn't want to do something, they just won't?
They said they got all their cats from shelters, and chose ones which were food motivated, which made it easier to train.
I met one of the cats afterwards, and she felt quite skinny. :-( the lady with her was rewarding her with treats all the time.
The cat was so good though she stayed right by her trainer. How is it possible to do this? A regular cat would just run right off the stage.....
Does anyone know much about this?