Hello everyone, I was asked to perform at my school's Pep assembly this coming week, and our mascot is the wildcat. I am looking for some way to produce a normal size cat, or possibly a kitten. Anyone have any methods of doing this that don't require purchasing a magic cage of some sort? Thanks.

-Alan

Ok,
Go get a cat carrier, spray the inside black, add black felt to the bottom and make a felt /cardboard wall. take a clothes hang and bend it to make a "pin" put a hole on top under the handle, push up the wall insert pinn and tada the worlds cheapest lion to bride! and it still is your legal cat carrier, an illusion that travels!
Larry

Build it yourself....do a reverse of Where the Ducks Go with a kitten!

To make a cat appear, first decide what color cat you want. Then wear the exact opposite color pants. Voila! A Cat will appear and rub all over your pants.

OK seriously, the pet carrier with black art may be a good idea.

The problem is, you want it done THIS WEEK. A little short notice to produce an illusion yourself without buying a prop. The thing about a professionally made prop is that while expensive, it hopefully is the result of good design and thinking. A DIY project can be fun, I'm all for it, but doing it with a few days notice to design build and practice, that could get edgy.

But checking your prifle and then website, it's obvious you're no newbie. You have a nice resume there with the awards. Obviously you are a professional. You could probably swing the budget for a production box of this kind, I can't imagine you couldn't find a use for it for future work. Your one quote includes a mention of rabbits. whatever you use to produce a rabbit would likely work for a housecat. Maybe I'm crazy, some people have really big cats, but the ones we keep are about the size of rabbits.

I think the biggest worry is working with a borrowed cat. A kitten would be best, since you obviously won't produce a real wild cat. A regular housecat will undermine the strength and ferocity. A kitten does that, but all the way - total hyperbole, adding the cute factor, the girls will aawwwwwww - I'd say it's even better than an adult cat.

Brilliant, Lusion!

I've never used a cat, but know of a magician who did. Funny, I think it was the
"Where the Ducks Go" set that he used!

Problem?

Incessant "MEEE-YEW-ing" mysteriously coming from somewhere before the appearance.

I know a little about cats, and most DO NOT like to be pent up somewhere. They will protest, and LOUDLY. Also, sharp claws can do damage to the load bag.

Now if you could SEDATE the little critter...

:)

Doug

LOL use a kitten and save feeding it until time for that act. place food in there and no noise! I use to use 2 teacup maltese for that trick!

You would be better off using an illusion like "Transfigmigration" (from Jim Gerrish's PVC Pipe Illusions Book 2 -on my site) to transform a teacher or a coach into a cheer-leader wearing a mascot or cat costume. You'd have to practice with the people involved, but that would actually be easier than dealing with the problems of working with a cat. Then, there's always cat juggling if you have a death wish.

Cat juggling is always a crowd pleaser.

Then, for the finish, you do FLAMING cat juggling.

You'd be surprised at the reaction.

Um. I actually have a wildcat. In Arkansas we call them bobcats. He's about 25lbs and very friendly.
He has been magically produced a number of times. The best/easiest way is from a production bag under silk cover.
Kitty loves the warm snug bag. He curls up right in the bottom of it and sleeps. I produce a bunch of silks, steal the production bag w/ the cat under cover of the silks, then produce him like you would a bird or other production item. I don't know if a house cat behaves the same. I've never had a "normal" pet.
For a kitten or small cat Kevin James outlined a production of a small animal like a hedgehog or rabbit in an issue of MAGIC magazine last year. Anyone else remember it? Can't seem to find that issue, but I distinctly remember it.

Wow, all of you helped very much, Thanks! Like I said, I do only have a week, so I am going to have to find something quick and simple in order to make this cat appear. My idea with the mascot was to make the cat appear, then have one of the staff members hold the cat, and then I was going to change him into the real mascot but a way that I read in a Mark Wilson Encyclopedia. (It just requires a big sheet, and a switch when I wrap up the a person and unwrap it revealing the mascot.) All of your tips really helped, thanks again!

"revlovejoy" - That was very nice of you to call me a proffesional, but I am far from that! I am only 16 and I have much to learn about this field, which is why this website is great for asking questions!

Alan, Do you know someone with a Tip Over Trunk? We produced a live cat from the trunk after "blowing the trick". A supervisor appeared from the empty trunk at a talent show. Sheets were to appear instead of the supervisor. In an effort to correct this, she was placed back in the trunk to be sent back to her apartment, the trunk was turned around and when opened again, she was gone, but a cat appeared and began talking to the magician as if the trick really went bad. The cat was eventually put back in the trunk and the supervisor reappeared. It was all a bit more involved than this, but these were the highlites.
Good Luck.

Well first you produce the doves...

Actually, have you tried using the Challet Doves to Rabbit?

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Well, I do have a doves to rabbit cage, but I'm not sure who made it. Sadly I bought it used and after the 3 or 4 years of using it in my show, the thing just broke apart. I also don't think that the space in there is big enough for a cat, but it's worth a try; maybe I will try and fix it.

-Alan

Since you have a staff member "in on it" why not use that person as an assistant to help produce the cat6, since that person will eventually be holding the cat as you work the mascot switch? In that case, you could easily make a cardboard Square Circle (or Square Square, let's not get picky) which is carried in on a tray held by the staffmember, and already contains the cat. Show the outer box empty, put it back and show the inner one empty. Nest them, clap your hands and remove the inner box together with the load chamber (which is bottomless - or upside down) and reveal the cat in the "cage." Remove the outer cage as the staff member calms the cat, and then take the tray so the staff member can hold the cat for the transformation. A little practice will tell you if both the cat and the staff member will cooperate together.

Very interesting Spellbinder, that just might work. Now all I have to do is find some cardboard.

-Alan

So I got a lot of Pm s about the Lions Bride with a cat Carrier.
So this is what you need
1 standard traveling cat carrier (Pic 1)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/381898059_447b2aa37d.jpg

1 can of black spay paint
some yards of black felt
cardboard
coat hanger
Glue, wire cutters, duck tape, a calm cat!

Ready
cut cardboard to inside measurements of carrier from ceiling to floor, wall to wall, but keep it square don't try to match the walls.
Spray inside of carrier black, and spray cardboard as well. let dry.
place the cardboard on the floor of carrier as close to the door as posable but not touching! (pic 2)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/381898061_27d0a7981a.jpg

Tape down it to the floor on the side away from the door.
It should now make a flap.
glue strips of felt from the door to the flap, and up to the top of the "front/bottom" of the flap.
Glue felt from the back of the carrier to the flap, and on up to the top of the "back/top" of the flap.(pic 3)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/381898067_c0f84b5599.jpg

Put top of carrier back on and life flap find the point that it is strait up and down and drill holes in the top of the carrier. Bend a piece of the coat hanger to go in the holes, the coat hanger piece must be long enough for the cardboard flap to rest behind it, and the holes larger so the pin can easily be pulled out(I put mine right where the handle is so that I could pull it with the hand holding the handle . (pic 4)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/381898063_57a32dd01a.jpg

With the flap up the inside should look like this! (pic 5)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/381898072_006d9fca84.jpg

Now test with a stuffed animal, put it behind the flap, put up the flap, put in pin.
present to audience, as you turn pull out the pin and TADA you have a cat.
Now you are done. There is plenty of room in the back for a cat, it is a legal cat carrier, if made right it can (flap falling fast) make the cat appear in a flash, and if not(flap falling slow) you can add a cloth cover!
Larry
Ps I built this when I was 12 for my cat at the time. I kept it for nostalgia (and to annoy the hell out of my wife with needless junk) it looks dirty in the pics because it has been in my attic to my rehearsal/ prop storage building for years.

Alan,

I sent you an email about this. There could be an easy solution.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander