Cats do tricks?

June 9, 2008 / NEW YORK - A Russian circus performer and his son are alleging in a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn court that their ex-managers stole methods for teaching felines to perform.

Yuri Kuklachev and his son, Dmitri, accuse father-and-son Mark and Yanis Gelfman of applying for a trademark for methods they stole to create a cat circus in New York City.

Kuklachev's attorney, Gary Tsirelman, says the Gelfmans are "trying to steal" his client's identity. A spokesman for the Gelfmans', James Woods, says the lawsuit should be tossed. He says the Moscow Cats Theater was created by the Gelfmans.

Kuklachev and his son claim to have done what was previously thought impossible: training frisky felines to perform acrobatic tricks.

My tricks include beating the stuffing out of mice, making margaritas (with lime!), and herding sleeping uncles.




And sleeping.