Tuesday, 4/22/97 The Mane Event From Persians to pumas, the
Natural History Museum’s exhibit on felines is the cat’s meow
By Kristin Fiore Daily Bruin Senior Staff How did cats get nine
lives? Do they really always land on their feet? And where did
Siberian white tigers live before Sigfried and Roy dragged them to
Las Vegas? The answers to these and many more questions await
museum goers at one of the most comprehensive and fascinating (if
not one of the only) exhibits on felines. "Cats! Wild to Mild," on
view at the Natural History Museum in downtown Los Angeles through
Sept. 1, explores America’s No. 1 pet and its wild counterparts
through their biology, behavior and history, and their appearance
in myths, literature, advertising and other elements of pop
culture. A true learning experience that is as entertaining as it
is informative, the exhibit combines many media. More than 25
traditional stuffed (taxidermied) animals, international artwork,
dioramas and diagrams share the massive room with fiberoptic
recreations of cat whiskers and a computerized tiger preserve that
visitors create to test their environmental prowess. Those who like
to use more of their senses can touch a giant reproduction of a
cat’s raspy tongue (when do you ever get to touch things at a
museum?). They can also hear the roar of a lion or see the movement
of a cat’s ears and limbs with the touch of a button or the turn of
a crank. Other installations light up, revealing how cats’ night
vision is superior to ours or how their bodies instinctively turn
to right themselves during a fall. Though adults can certainly
enjoy the exhibit and learn a lot from it, many of its elements are
aimed at children, and are consequently more fun and colorful; be
prepared for many groups of kids roaming, fascinated, through the
exhibit. You may want to stop and listen to their tour guide, who
will undoubtedly have some interesting insights and anecdotes.
Biographies of all sorts of animal scientists, writers and trainers
are sprinkled among the displays to excite children about career
possibilities. Worksheets with cat facts, puzzles and tips for care
are also available in the last section, which focuses on caring for
your cat at home. Both adults and children will love the recreation
of an Aztec’s jaguar suit that greets you at the exhibit’s start;
these suits were used by high ranking warriors in rituals to
impersonate or even become the jaguar god. Domestic cats enjoyed
such royal status in ancient Egypt, where cat worship and ownership
– though who really owns who is debatable – began over 4,000 years
ago. Mummies like those on display were often covered with
illustrations of the cat goddess. There’s even a mummified cat!
From the ancient to the modern, the exhibit covers all aspects of
the cats’ influence on culture. Cats in advertising, literature,
art and even cartoon characters appear on a giant collage
representing the past few hundred years of history and pop culture.
Vintage magazine covers and cartoons of the New Yorker lie next to
the recent Jingle Cats CD, "Here Comes Santa Claws." Egyptian wall
painting recreations share space with Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman
mask from "Batman." The variety in subject matter and media keeps
the exhibit from becoming tedious for "dog people" who are less
than thrilled at the prospect of spending a few hours in the
company of cats. The litany of incredible cat facts and gorgeous
taxidermied animals (who all died of natural causes, of course) may
even make them true "cat people." Though most of the exhibit is
positive, highlighting the feline’s uniqueness and majesty, it also
emphasizes the endangerment of many felines due to habitat
destruction, Chinese medicine practices, hunting and other
problems, mostly man-made. This aspect of science is an unfortunate
but natural one to many of the young museum visitors, who learn of
a cheetah’s diet and threat of extinction. For older viewers,
though, who tend to equate the modern rates and modes of extinction
with the natural process it was only 100 years ago, the cruel facts
of habitat loss and extinction will hopefully come as a wake-up
call. Displaying a list of an animal’s threats and status (stable,
vulnerable or endangered) along with its size, range, prey and
notable features makes it clear that extinction is a serious
scientific problem. Conversely, the last sections of the exhibit,
which focus on the origins and variations of the domestic cat,
emphasize the tragedy of overpopulation and the need to spay or
neuter your cat. Ten to 20 million cats are "destroyed" (like
buildings or defective toys, not living things) annually. Despite
the sadness and occasional horror of the facts revealed, the
exhibit informs rather than preaches. Viewers most likely leave the
exhibit feeling informed and intent on doing their parts to help
the situation, whether it be taking their cats to the vet or
letting others know the dangers of extinction. And despite the
downers of extinction and overpopulation, they leave feeling good.
If there’s one thing that felines can do, it’s make you momentarily
forget the bad stuff (the habitat destruction, the vomit on your
new carpet, the shredded couch arm …) and enjoy their presence.
What other species, including humans, can fascinate you and win
your heart as it sleeps? EXHIBIT: "Cats! Wild to Mild" is at the
Natural History Museum, located at 900 Exposition Blvd. downtown,
through Sept. 1. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10-5. Tickets are $6 for
adults, $3.50 for seniors and students. Call (213) 763-3466 for
more info or visit the Web site at http://www.nhm.org. (above) An
exhibit designer prepares a tremendously lifelike cat for display.
(right) In its efforts to educate them about responsible pet care,
the "Cats!" exhibit allows children to become veterinarians for a
day and cure the ailments of Mews, the cat. (far right) Children
enjoy one of the many taxidermied animal displays at the Natural
History Museum’s "Cats! Wild to Mild." This installation describes
the courtship and mating habits of lions. Cats!