A rescue cat from a farm in the Steinbach, Man., area has found its way home to a lead role on the big screen.
Animal trainer Courtney Voth said Smarty Pants the cat, a two-year-old torbi or tortoiseshell-tabby, will play the lead cat in the upcoming movie “A Dog’s Way Home,” starring Ashley Judd and Edward James Olmos.
Voth wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag when it comes to the character Smarty Pants plays or how it will factor in the plot, which is about a dog who takes a 400-mile journey after being separated from its owner.
She said Smarty Pants is a rescue cat who she began to foster at the age of six weeks. Voth spotted performance potential in the cat when it wasn’t frightened off by the pop of a balloon that sent other animals scattering. Her first film role came at only 12 weeks old, which was followed by appearances on TV and in commercials.
A “Dog’s Way Home,” based on the novel by W. Bruce Cameron, was filmed in British Columbia and opens Thursday in theatres.
