Zippos Circus

The Daily Mail meets the AcroCATS!


• 1 April 2016 •

The Daily Mail meets the AcroCATS!


We're the acroCATS! Purrfecting their big top act, the fearless felines saved from the street who are now an adorable addition to touring circus

 

By DAVID WILKES FOR THE DAILY MAIL

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No – it’s Felix the supercat!

With his action hero cape billowing behind him, this seven-year-old moggy is the undisputed star of a troupe of French ‘acrocats’ captivating audiences on their first visit to the UK with Zippos Circus.

As well as Felix, there is Rundi, three, who jumps through a hoop between two stands nearly 5ft apart; nine-month-old Junior who negotiates a ‘tightrope’ walk across a rope; Pattatina, six, who manages by a whisker to balance on top of a ball; and agile Valentina, one, who weaves between glittery pedestals. With his action hero cape billowing behind him, Felix the supercat is the undisputed star of a troupe of French ‘acrocats’ captivating audiences on their first visit to the UK with Zippos Circus Also part of the troupe is nine-month-old Junior who negotiates a ‘tightrope’ walk across a rope

Critics of animal acts will doubtless see their five-minute show as something to get their claws into. But all these cats were rescued after being abandoned on the streets of Angers, a city 190 miles south west of Paris. They were adopted by circus performers Rosline Borissov, 40, her husband Boris, 48, and their daughter Nora, 16.

The act began five years ago when Rosline – whose family has performed in circuses for seven generations as clowns, jugglers and acrobats – and her husband, who runs a Zippos horse act, found Felix abandoned in a park.

He was the first feline they trained and the troupe’s number swelled as they adopted more abandoned cats. Rundi, for example, was rescued from a roundabout, while Junior was found abandoned in a shopping centre drain. All these cats were rescued after being abandoned on the streets of Angers, a city 190 miles south west of Paris. There is also Rundi, three, who jumps through a hoop between two stands nearly 5ft apart

The act began five years ago when Rosline and her husband, who runs a Zippos horse act, found Felix abandoned in a park. Felix was the first feline they trained and the troupe’s number swelled as they adopted more abandoned cat. Only a handful of the cats perform each night to ensure they do not get tired – or simply lose interest which, says Rosline, is an inevitable obstacle when working with domestic cats. In all, the family has 27 trained cats, all of which are rewarded for their work with treats of Strasbourg sausage or duck pate. Only a handful of them perform each night to ensure they do not get tired – or simply lose interest which, says Rosline, is an inevitable obstacle when working with domestic cats. She explained: ‘Cats are very independent and when they don’t want to work, they don’t work. They are difficult to train.’

She went on to say: ‘It takes about six months to train each cat. We do it from when they are little using treats. Each has their own speciality, but they all only perform natural movements showcasing their agility.’

Zippos’ creative director David Hibling added: ‘They are one of very few acts of their sort in the world. It’s all done with such a spirit of affection.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3519788/We-acrocats-Purrfecting-big-act-fearless-felines-saved-street.html#ixzz477kNORVo 
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