Where is the Catman?

One of the things that most people who come to Key West enjoy is the sunset celebration at Mallory Square.  Every night crowds gather to watch the sun disappear into the water off the west end of town.  There are several sailing ships that tack back and forth offshore, adding to the beauty of the scene while giving their passengers a different perspective. Cameras are everywhere and people watching is entertaining in itself.

But before the sun does down, there is a whole smorgasbord of things to see.  There are small booths set up along one side where you can find some unique items for sale.  Everything from recycled aluminum can art to palm frond hats to original paintings are available.  The selection varies somewhat from day to day and there always seems to be new things displayed, keeping shoppers interested.

Tarot card reader

Unicyclist high in the air

The street performers, though, really keep things moving.  You can see mimes, jugglers, escape artists, sword and fire swallowers, dog tricks, singers, and acrobats.  They are all performing for tips from the audience so the more unique and/or outrageous they can be, the better the pay off.  Some have been around for years, maybe varying their acts some to keep people interested.  Others come and go with only brief notoriety.

My personal favorite among these performers is Dominique, the Catman.  We saw him last time we were in Key West and I went back day after day to see his kitties do their thing.  The show is always different because the cats don't always do exactly what he asks them to.  They are cats after all, right?  Who would ever expect  a cat to do anything you asked it to do?  However Dominique gets them to walk tightropes, jump through a ring of fire, catch the "sushi" treats he throws to them, and generally charm the crowd with the obvious love they have for him.  When they don't do what he asks them to do, the Catman makes up for it by being the entertainment himself.  There is no fence around the act.  The cats are free to come and go as they please.  But they remain in the show area, sometimes walking around a bit randomly, but never making any effort to leave.

I don't have a picture of my favorite guy and his kitties though because he wasn't there this weekend.  Both days we went there looking for him only to be disappointed.  I'm hoping he'll be back before the week is over so I can get my Catman fix and some pictures.  Until then you'll have to settle for this guy's picture. The pelicans here are quite tame as they have learned to expect handouts from all the fish being cleaned.