The Moscow Cats Theater is appearing in Los Angeles for the first time as part of its 2006 tour. The show includes 30 acrobatic cats that seem to lap up the limelight."Teaching them tricks is basically forcing them to do things they don't want to do," said trainer Yuri Kukalachev. "You cannot force a cat to do anything that it does not want to do."Instead, Kukalachev said trainers observe the cats from birth and find out how each cat likes to play. The tricks are then based on the cats' preferences and talents.Traveling around the world is a bit of a risk for the troupe. What if the Russian cats find out how easy their American counterparts live? Could defection be far behind?Kukalachev said he doesn't think so. "American cats will see the Russian cats do tricks and want to perform also."The show also includes five clowns, who are all human, and a dog.Other cities the group will visit soon include Detroit, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio.
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Video: Show Includes 30 Acrobatic Cats
