I’ll admit I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down at the Bug Theatre for a Sunday matinee of The Amazing Acro-Cats Featuring Tuna and the Rock Cats. Ninety minutes, one chicken, two rats and more than a dozen unpredictable felines later, I was totally won over.
For the uninitiated, The Amazing Acro-Cats is a one-of-a-kind circus-meets-cat-rescue-meets-music-extravaganza created by animal trainer Samantha Martin. The show features clicker-trained domestic rescue cats who ride skateboards, leap through hoops, balance on beams, walk across ropes and close out the performance by “playing” in a rock band. It’s chaotic, adorable and surprisingly educational.
Martin, the show’s founder and “Chief Executive Human,” launched the act in 2005 after training a special cat named Tuna to play the cowbell. Since then, the show has grown from small expo performances to a fully theatrical touring production with shows across the country.
Denver audiences are no strangers to the spectacle. In fact, the Bug Theatre was the first theater that The Amazing Acro-Cats performed in during its inaugural tour back in 2010, and now it returns to the venue every other year. For this 2025 tour stop, the 45-foot “catified” tour bus brought 24 cats, two rats, a chicken named Cluck Norris and three humans from Meowy Manor in Griffin, Georgia, to Denver for a three-week residency through July 20.
The show I went to partnered with Denver Cat Rescue, one of several local rescues supported by the tour, including the Feline Fix and Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue. Throughout its run, a portion of ticket sales benefit these organizations, and the show also features cats up for adoption, complete with live clicker training demos to demonstrate their potential.
Inside the Bug, the stage is transformed into a massive cat playground complete with ramps, platforms, cat toys and instruments. When you walk in, the setup looks like a whimsical cat tree exploded across the space. The show runs without intermission, which the program cheekily lists as an “intermeowssion," and closes with a thirty-minute meet-and-greet for VIP ticketholders, which allows you to pet a specially designated cat (Annie, during our show) and take photos.
Martin leads the performance with support from two tour assistants, wrangling the feline cast with a mix of gentle coaxing, sardonic wit and raw meat. Martin explains early on that "dogs are suckers" and will work for pets and praise, whereas cats require more motivation. A combination of chicken, fish and other treats does the trick here, plus positive reinforcement and clicker training.
That said, this is not a show about perfection. One of the greatest joys of The Amazing Acro-Cats is that the cats often don’t do what they’re told. And when they go rogue — ignoring commands, stealing treats, darting off-stage — the audience howls with laughter. As Martin put it, “Nothing teaches humility like performing a live cat show in front of an audience.”
The show loosely follows a five-act structure. The opening introduces the concept and the cats' unique personalities. In the second act, Martin demonstrates how clicker training works, showing how cats respond to a treat-based reward system. The third act showcases the "Acro-Cats in training." In act four, the cats perform some of their best stunts set to music and sound effects, which leads into a “Cat Chorus Line,” which introduces each member of the troupe and their rescue origin story before the animals participate in a competition.
The final act is Tuna and the Rock Cats, billed as the only all-feline band in the world. Each cat is placed in front of an instrument, like a guitar, drums or piano, and either paws at it or gets treats strategically placed in the mouthpieces, as was the case with the new Jazz Cats on trumpet and clarinet. Sound effects are overlaid for comedic effect, like a saxophone solo timed with the cat “playing” Careless Whisper.
Of course, no cat show is complete without some human antics and light merchandising. Throughout the performance, Martin promotes clicker training kits, tour merchandise and the Acro-Cats' rescue organization, Rock Cats Rescue, Inc.
While the cause is undeniably worthy, the sheer frequency of merch promos began to feel a bit heavy-handed. Nonetheless, given the organization's extensive rescue work, including fostering bottle-fed kittens, supporting local shelters and funding medical care for retired Acro-Cats, the majority of the audience appeared happy to contribute a few extra dollars.
A few practical notes: Because the Bug has limited raked seating, sightlines can be an issue if you're sitting toward the back. Luckily, a live feed from a rear camera is projected onto a screen at stage right, which helps.
Still, this is one of those shows where it’s worth splurging for a closer seat. Not only is the view better, but VIP ticketholders also get access to the post-show cat meet-and-greet. And if you're on a budget, consider volunteering; several audience members joined the show as impromptu “band assistants” and got to experience the feline chaos up close.
All in all, The Amazing Acro-Cats is exactly what it promises to be: a delightfully offbeat blend of circus spectacle, heartfelt rescue advocacy and cat-fueled comedy. It's no wonder the show continues to sell out every time it returns to Denver.
If you're a fan of cats, chaos and unfiltered cuteness, this is one act you don’t want to miss. Just don’t expect the cats to follow the script!
The Amazing Acro-Cats Featuring Tuna and the Rock Cats, through Sunday, July 20, at the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo Street. Learn more at rockcatsrescue.org. Get tickets here.
The show loosely follows a five-act structure. The opening introduces the concept and the cats' unique personalities. In the second act, Martin demonstrates how clicker training works, showing how cats respond to a treat-based reward system. The third act showcases the "Acro-Cats in training." In act four, the cats perform some of their best stunts set to music and sound effects, which leads into a “Cat Chorus Line,” which introduces each member of the troupe and their rescue origin story before the animals participate in a competition.
The final act is Tuna and the Rock Cats, billed as the only all-feline band in the world. Each cat is placed in front of an instrument, like a guitar, drums or piano, and either paws at it or gets treats strategically placed in the mouthpieces, as was the case with the new Jazz Cats on trumpet and clarinet. Sound effects are overlaid for comedic effect, like a saxophone solo timed with the cat “playing” Careless Whisper.
Of course, no cat show is complete without some human antics and light merchandising. Throughout the performance, Martin promotes clicker training kits, tour merchandise and the Acro-Cats' rescue organization, Rock Cats Rescue, Inc.
While the cause is undeniably worthy, the sheer frequency of merch promos began to feel a bit heavy-handed. Nonetheless, given the organization's extensive rescue work, including fostering bottle-fed kittens, supporting local shelters and funding medical care for retired Acro-Cats, the majority of the audience appeared happy to contribute a few extra dollars.
A few practical notes: Because the Bug has limited raked seating, sightlines can be an issue if you're sitting toward the back. Luckily, a live feed from a rear camera is projected onto a screen at stage right, which helps.
Still, this is one of those shows where it’s worth splurging for a closer seat. Not only is the view better, but VIP ticketholders also get access to the post-show cat meet-and-greet. And if you're on a budget, consider volunteering; several audience members joined the show as impromptu “band assistants” and got to experience the feline chaos up close.
All in all, The Amazing Acro-Cats is exactly what it promises to be: a delightfully offbeat blend of circus spectacle, heartfelt rescue advocacy and cat-fueled comedy. It's no wonder the show continues to sell out every time it returns to Denver.
If you're a fan of cats, chaos and unfiltered cuteness, this is one act you don’t want to miss. Just don’t expect the cats to follow the script!
The Amazing Acro-Cats Featuring Tuna and the Rock Cats, through Sunday, July 20, at the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo Street. Learn more at rockcatsrescue.org. Get tickets here.
