Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-09
PERFORMING CATS.
Their Training is a Difficult Task and Requires
Lots of Patience.


Lots of Patience.
In small street off the Waterloo road
in London stands a house in which are
forty cats, a score of rats, similar num-
Der of mice, 100 pigeons, dozen ca
naries, a cockatoo, and a seaguli. The
presiding genius over this strange collec-
ton CT animals is Leoni Clarke. As soon
as you speak With him you see at once
the secret of his power over his heterog-
eneous family for quietness, patience,
and kindness are suggested by his voice
and his manner, and these are just the
characteristics needed to make the sue
cessful trainer. When the writer went
over Mr.. Clarke's establishment the
other day he was taken first of all to the
infrmary. Here were seven invalids
| s1fferingI from iniuenza-a kind of dis
temper that they had caught from a
strange csG. These invalids were cozily
| nestled or G rug in front of fine warm
fire, Their food was warm milk and
rabbit soup. In another room were up
ward of thirty sound oats-common
English cats, Persian cats, Russian cats,
and Manx cats. A thick bedding of straw
covered the floor. Every night, when the
cats are away performing, their room is
| |.
1t does net pay Mr.. Clarke to have any of
these cats ill Or indisposed; and if fully
trained one dies he considers it alraost
as bad as if he lost 600. "You see that
Russian cat with his ear bitten?" said Mr..
Clarke. eve call him Dynamite, because
| he is SO fierce. There Is Fireworks, .
pointing to beautiful torteiseshell.
Fireworks, hereI' and Fireworks lea ped
<
works is the smartest cat in the whole
collection. It sorambles up to the tight
roPe-fxed at height of thirty feet from
the stage,,by bar at an angle of about
Is degrees, ard steps onto the rope,
which 1t traverses with as self conscious
an air rs any other master performer.
GUietly sitting on a chair was the Bald
win cat, peacefully licking itself, just as
any old maids fireside companion mig ut
do. 3hls little creature, thought it had
been higher up in the world than any OF
It's companions and caused greater sensa
| lions, seemed III no wise puffed up, and to
be quite willing to mingle with tribe on
terms of equality. All the rest of these
oats could perform wonderful feats, iump
FROM the top of one champagne-b bottle to
another, play with mice, rats, and can
aries, and even suffer themselves to be
hanged by couple OF rats. The most
difficult thing to teach them is to jun p
through hoops surrounded with flames.
They are afraid of the FIRE. but their fears
are overcome when they learn that there
Is no danger, and this is accomplished
simply by the exercise of more patience,
more coaxing, AND kindness. Down
stairs was the training-room. Here Mr..
/ Clarke erects & mimic stage, with scenery
end al! the other adjuncts, and puts re-
eruits through their drill. When they
/ have learned their n1ore simple exercises
they are taken out to the public perfor-
| mances for the purpose of becoming &C
oEstonaed to the poise, the music, and to
/ strangers. Mr.. Clarke never gives more
! than two performances in one evening.
4 this he considers quite enough for the
! weli-being of his cats. He has a private
Omnibus for conveying them from one
! hall to another and home. The cats and
other animals are packed in ham pers.
which are put on the top of the bus,
while ne himself, with his wife and an
1 attendant, travels inside. Besides milk,
| which is warmed for them in cold weather,
these cats are also plentifuIly fed on
beef-sometimes raw, sometimes roasted
which Mrs. Clarke told a London Star
| man costs her s shillings pound Just
now; else on rabbits aud fish.