‘Cat Tricks’ Video in Which ‘Kitty’ Is Beaten Has Surprise Ending

It’s a two-parter that will have everyone upset—and should. Now uploaded to YouTube , “Cat Tricks” is a video of a man shouting at and hitting a house cat named Rufus until he stands on his hind legs and jumps from one stool to another like a tiger in a circus. But a behind-the-scenes video reveals that Rufus is entirely computer-generated—and that “Cat Tricks” was created to evoke empathy for the animals who are bullied and beaten into performing tricks in circuses and movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrMUWlCrYDI

“Abuse is abuse, whether the animal being smacked is a house cat or an elephant,” says PETA India CEO Dr Manilal Valliyate. “PETA US’s video illustrates why not to buy a ticket to a circus that uses animals—or exploit a live animal for a TV show or movie. PETA affiliates are advocating for the use of computer-generated animals, as they don’t feel the terror of a threat, the pain of a whip, or the loneliness of a life in a cage.”

Domestic cats suffer, too: A PETA US exposé of leading Hollywood animal supplier Birds & Animals Unlimited revealed that cats who were reportedly being used in the film Benji were virtually starved and forced to lose 5 percent of their body weight in five days because a trainer said that they were “fat.”

Animals used in Indian circuses are also subjected to chronic confinement, physical abuse, and psychological torment. Whips and other weapons, including ankuses –heavy, sharp steel-tipped rods – are used to inflict pain on animals and beat them into submission. Animals perform frightening, confusing tricks, such as jumping through rings of fire, not because they want to but out of fear of violent punishment.

You Can Help

Please add your voice to PETA’s by letting officials know that all animals who are exhibited or forced to perform in circuses are suffering.