by Linda Kay

About once every generation a cat actor comes along who just has “It”; that certain charisma that leaps off the screen and says, “I am someone special!” Okay, true . . . every cat has “It” to some extent, but only a few have what can be labeled as “Star Power.” And for this generation, that cat actor has to be Tonic.

Any story about Tonic has to begin with his rescuer and trainer Melissa Millett. After attending a dog training course, Melissa discovered she was good at training animals and started her own business. Because some of the tricks she was teaching the dogs were quite entertaining she started providing animal actors for film and television as well as doing half hour live performances with her dogs and cats which eventually evolved into the Ultimutts, a division of their larger training service called In Dogs We Trust. Millett also hosted the series Doggy House Calls and its spin-off Doggy Diaries.

Tonic’s story began when Millett was contacted by Animal Coordinator Kirk Jarrett who was looking for the trainer and cat actors to handle the role of Church in the remake of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Jarrett approached Millett when he learned about a cat who could sit on Millett’s head during her Ultimutts show. Because of her training experience, Melissa was able to tell Jarrett to let her know specifically what look they wanted for Church so she could then search for shelter cats to be trained in two months to fill the role. Jarrett was seeking a cat that looked like Church from the cover of the book, so that became the focus of Millett’s search.

Cover artwork for the original printing of Pet Sematary by artist Linda Fennimore.

One of the five cats found for the film included 10 month old Tonic, a gorgeous brown Siberian Forest tabby. Millett recognized Tonic for the talent he displayed from the start. Tonic’s gentle demeanor and cuteness was perfect for playing the cuddly cute Church at the beginning of the film while fellow cat actor Leo, trained by Kirk Jarrett, played the zombie Church. The other cats who worked on the movie were Jager and JD (the fifth cat apparently did not work out for the shoot).

Using positive reinforcement training, Millett was able to get a stunning performance from the new kitty thespian. She was also a strong advocate for the cat actors, insisting that her charges all had trailers, patios, air conditioning and every possible amenity for comfort while working on the set.

The cat actors and trainers garnered well deserved praise for their roles in the updated Pet Sematary and appeared in several interviews at the time:

Breakfast Television interview with Melissa and Tonic:

Tanner Zipchen interviews Melissa and Tonic and Kirk with Leo:

Insider video on How Cats are Trained for TV and Movies:

Daily Blast Live interview with Melissa and Tonic:

For more information about Tonic’s and the other cats’ work on Pet Sematary, read our review by clicking here.

Of the cat actors who worked on the movie, two were adopted by Kirk Jarrett (including Leo who sadly passed in 2019) and the other two went to Melissa’s friends. Melissa kept Tonic, recognizing his star potential.

Tonic’s next notable role was as Dewey, the pet cat in the horror film Thanksgiving. The film was notable for spotlighting the cat character but not making him yet another victim of the killer. Director Eli Roth was extremely impressed with Tonic’s performance and set demeanor, nicknaming Tonic the “Kitty Leonardo DiCaprio.”

The animal performers of The Ultimutts, including Tonic, auditioned with Melissa Millett for the panel of judges on Canada’s Got Talent and impressed a whole new audience of animal lovers.

But by far Tonic’s most impressive role has to be his co-starring turn alongside Austin Butler (whose character is named Hank) and an impressive cast of stars in the highly entertaining film Caught Stealing released in 2025. Tonic plays Bud, the cat who belongs to Butler’s next door neighbor Russ. When Russ has to go out of town suddenly he asks Hank to watch Bud for him, a simple request which leads to an unbelievably terrifying series of circumstances. The film really pays tribute to classic Hitchcock films in which an every man suddenly finds himself way over his head in dire situations with criminals and gangsters.

While being backed up by a crew of kitty stand-ins including Swivel, Stewie and Kitten, the stand out star was definitely Tonic. Several people who worked on the movie were quoted in the August 28, 2025 NPR interview by Sherry Lemcke praising the work of the furry superstar:

    “Tonic is so brilliant, isn’t he? He’s a scene stealer,” says Butler. “He had this very primal fire in his eyes, you know. And so when you fed him a treat, he didn’t just take it out of your hand with his mouth. He would grab it with his paw. He’s like this tiny little tiger. It’s just so impressive to see. And then on top of that, he could stay on a mark for an hour and a half, he’s just so focused.”
    Director Aronofsky says Tonic was remarkably easy to work with. He gives credit to the cat’s mom, animal trainer Melissa Millett, whom he calls an animal whisperer, “deep in the mind of the creature. Very no nonsense when it comes to in any way putting stress on the animal.”
    At their home near Toronto, Millett gives Tonic his favorite treat: a grilled chicken breast fillet in crab flavored broth. He shares his catio, a large but enclosed outdoor hangout space, with his siblings, including a Bengal leopard cat named Sashimi and a Boston Terrier named Lollipop. “Tonic comes out like he’s having the time of his life. He loves the work, and he walks around with his tail high,” she says, adding that’s the sign of a confident cat: their tails held high and hooked at the end.
    Tonic wasn’t asked to do anything so fancy for Caught Stealing, but he did get his own trailer, a van and a green room outfitted with toys and food. He also had five cat doubles: Swivel, Twix, Boogie, Jager and Stewie. Millett says on location, he always drew a crowd.
    “Maybe just because it’s amazing to see a cat so confident walking around downtown New York on a leash. He believes the world revolves around him.”

During press interviews for Caught Stealing, Melissa couldn’t give actor Austin Butler enough praise and told the story about how during one car scene in which stand-in Swivel, a normally quiet kitty, was playing Bud the cat and started meowing. Austin actually held up production and had Melissa called over just to let her know that Swivel actually had a voice.

Tonic’s role in the film again brought interest in Millett and her work with animals and with this interest came more television interviews:

Interview with Tonic and Melissa on Canadian television’s The Social:

Kat Hughes interviews Melissa Millett for The Hollywood News:

Director Darren Aronofsky was interviewed by The Backstage Experience and told the publication how you go about casting a cat in a film:

    “It’s a lot of work, actually. First you don’t try to disturb the cats so you look at a lot of photographs and video of cats from all over the tri state area. And then you meet a few but it’s as much about interviewing the trainer as it is anything because you get a vibe, ’cause these are people you’re going to be collaborating with like any department head. I’ll never forget meeting Melissa . . . I’m gonna say Tonic’s owner but really Tonic’s collaborator, I should say. She’s such a humane cat-first whisperer and just a great human who really was all about the well being of this cat. So very quickly beyond the fact this cat had skills way beyond any of the other creatures I saw, it was the beauty of how she approached it. Like when Tonic would come to set, Tonic was ready to work. Tonic was happy. But Tonic, once again, was not a cuddly cat. Like Tonic you don’t pick up, Tonic you don’t pet, which is weird ’cause like there’s a beautiful creature right there who’s all furry and beautiful but no one touches Tonic because Tonic doesn’t like it. And that’s the rules. And then as soon as Tonic is done, Tonic goes home.”

Tonic’s performance is nothing short of amazing and stands out as one of the best cat performances on film in some time, comparable with such roles as Cat in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Pyewacket in Bell, Book and Candle. One bit of trivia from IMDb really paints a clear picture of just how talented Tonic really is:

One moment that impressed both Huston and director Darren Aronofsky involved Tonic’s inspecting Butler after his character has just suffered an intense beating. “I have no idea why Tonic was doing that at the time or if Tonic might have been checking it out,” Aronofsky says. “I kept playing that over and over again when I got those dailies because I was like, ‘Look at this brilliant cat.’ I would work with Tonic in a second again over many human actors.”

As if stealing the movie wasn’t enough, Tonic also stole the scene at the film’s premiere when he drove a little car on the red carpet, much to the delight of the paparazzi.

Tonic was also featured prominently on posters for the film.

Tonic continues to work in commercials and film and is next slated to appear as Pamela Anderson’s cat in the upcoming film Love is Not the Answer. And to add to the well deserved accolades, Tonic was also just named one of the top animal actors of 2025 by W Magazine! We look forward to watching this amazing cat thespian continue to be a true scene stealer in many films to come.

We encourage you to follow Tonic on his Instagram page and keep an eye on this cat whose career promises to shine bright among the annals of famous cinema cats.

Delectables Lickable Spoon commercial featuring Tonic: