I try not to judge people too harshly but if you love dogs and hate on cats, I have to side eye you. You don’t have to choose one over the other and if you allow cats into your life, they’re great too! And Caught Stealing proves that.
Bud (Tonic the Cat) is Russ’ (Matt Smith) cat who he has to leave behind when he goes back to London to see his dying father. He asks his neighbor Hank (Austin Butler) to keep an eye on him and Hank says multiple times that he’s not a cat guy. And yet by the end of the movie, he is protecting Bud with his life. And to me, that says a lot.
Throughout the movie, Bud is labeled as a “bitter” and yet even when he does attempt to swat at people or bite someone, they still think he’s a sweet cat. I listened to an entire audience gasp when Bud came out hurt after the Russian mafia kicked him but they watched people get beaten up and even saw people die and never said a word. That’s the power that Bud has!
But I really do love that Caught Stealing does is allow Hank’s relationship with Bud to change and grow throughout the movie. In the beginning, he was not a fan of the cat but getting to watch this “dog” guy turn into someone who would defend and protect a cat that isn’t his really is the power of a cat. If you give a cat respect, they will love you unconditionally and in a way that no other animal will and that’s what Caught Stealing really captures, all thanks to the brilliance of Tonic the Cat!
And Tonic has been a star!
Prior to starring as the cat we’d all die to protect, the beautiful future Oscar winner when animals are finally recognized was the “good” version of Church in the 2019 film Pet Sematary. I say good because we all know what happens to Church in that story and that’s not the journey our beloved actor went on.
But learning that Tonic was also one of the actors used for Church was so exciting because it does show how good of a performer this cat is. Personally, I think that cats are incredible in every sense of the word and I do love that people have fallen in love with this cat thanks to Caught Stealing but clearly Tonic the Cat has been a star!
(featured image: TheStewartofNY/FilmMagic)
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