PICTURES and VIDEO: See acrobatic cat take Wick and Thurso town centres by storm

By David G Scott

Published: 15:00, 11 April 2022

| Updated: 16:14, 11 April 2022

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After a giant puppet called Storm took to the streets of Wick last year, another Lyth Arts Centre event saw a huge cat and its pursuer bring delight across Caithness at the weekend.

Cat Sith is billed as "a high impact outdoor spectacle" and is centred around a large acrobatic puppet of a Scottish wildcat and its pesky pursuer. Two performers dwell within the body of the wildcat and went through a series of wild and daring moves to bring the feline to life in the streets of Wick and Thurso on Saturday and Sunday.

The wildcat proved a popular attraction. Picture: Calvin Wilson

Children enjoying the performance in Thurso. Picture: DGS

The pesky feline has escaped the clutches of the cat catcher once again. Picture: DGS

The cat is on the hunt for his fish supper. Picture: DGS

Cat catcher has her net at the ready but the wildcat is having none of it. Picture: DGS

The big cat checks out a Thurso bin for a tasty morsel. Picture: DGS

The big cat rears up and towers over the crowd in Wick. Picture: Eswyl Fell

There was no need to book seats at the shows as the town centre performances were totally free and attracted many families to enjoy a bit of spring sunshine and some live theatre to boot.

The arts centre posted a description of the event which said: "Sammie, cat catcher extraordinaire, is on the hunt to capture the elusive wildcat.

The cat catcher looks like she's nabbed the pesky animal at last. Picture: DGS

Charlotte Mountford from Lyth Arts Centre, behind the big cat, helped coordinate the event. Picture: DGS

Wick town centre was crowded out with many adults and their children. Picture: Eswyl Fell

Cat Sith in action in Thurso on Saturday. Picture: DGS

The performers take a bow at the end of the Wick event on Sunday. Picture: Eswyl Fell

"Equipped with a multitude of gadgets, gizmos and help from the audience, will Sammie succeed, or will our cat maintain its wildness? Through use of physical comedy and improvisation, we have created an enthralling, accessible and multi-layered fusion of puppetry and acrobatics that is adaptable to its environment."

The 20-minute performances took place in the pedestrianised zones of each town and provided the opportunity for the acrobatic actors to move about freely – the only downside came from a series of illegally parked cars and campervans filling up spaces in Wick's Market Square and hemming in the performers and spectators.

Selfish parking at Market Square in Wick was flagged up by a community council member. Picture: Alan Hendry

Thurso community activist and Highland Council candidate, Alexander Glasgow, was at the event and said: "Of course faerie cats like the Cat Sìth exist but we think of them as pre Industrial Revolution because that's how antiquarians recorded them 200 years ago.

Alexander Glasgow was at the Thurso event and took the opportunity to canvas for the forthcoming council election at which he is standing. Picture: DGS

"Trapped on paper, they stopped evolving. Lyth Arts Centre and Ludic Acid [theatre company] released her. She now is a benign magic and didn't curse the dairy herd because no-one brought her a saucer of milk. I hope to see a Mari Lwyd as well. This spectral horse roams the Welsh countryside at Christmas engaging in Welsh rap in order to steal a household's alcohol."

More info on Lyth Arts Centre events can be found at: lytharts.org.uk/

Related article:

Giant puppet kicks up a Storm in Wick

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