Behind the Scenes of the TV movie Strays

Debuting on the USA Network on December 18, 1991, Strays featured two notable cat actors of the time, plus a bevy of supporting cats and a human cast which played well off both each other and the premise.

Starring as the chief cat, the blue British Shorthair with a bad disposition, was Monty, who had previously starred as Church, the equally muffed and vicious undead Stephen King cat in Pet Sematary, as well as the less-aggravated pet cat Pouncer in Beaches.

Also starring in the supporting role of the beautiful Chinchilla Persian mama cat was S.H. III, the noted star of those iconic Fancy Feast commercials. She also starred in the films The Jerk, Scrooged and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. She retired from acting in 1994 when another one of Hart’s cats, Maybe Baby, who also worked on some of the above films, stepped into her pawprints.

Both cats, plus the thirty hybrid felines who starred alongside them, were supplied and trained by Scott Hart. Working with him on the film were William Griscoe (now known as William Shane), Thora Hart, Jackie Martin, Mill Ng, Stacey Packer and Don Spinney.

Overseeing that the cats (and other animals) were well treated on the set was Barbara Sands acting as representative for the American Humane Association. The cat actors were motivated by clickers, toys or food rewards. Monty’s vicious hisses were reportedly instigated by the use of a toy fake cat. A trainer doubled for the phone man in some scenes with baby food hidden in strategic places to encourage the cats to “attack.” The rain which the cats had to run through was actually just in front of the movie lens so the cats weren’t actually getting wet. Care was taken when actress Kathleen Quinlan removed the cats from the crib that she support them and did not handle them too roughly. And the fire extinguisher reportedly squirted whipped cream at the cats!

While a toy may have been used to elicit hisses from most of the cat actors, in one specific shot it appears a ginger tabby cat is having its behind shaken by someone off camera to elicit an angry meow.

In the scenes where the cats were roughly handled or involved in direct combat with the actors, fake or mechanical cats were utilized, created by Jim and Debra Boulden. There are some moments where it’s obvious the cats are fake, such as when the cat bounces off the windshield of the Jarrett’s car and when Kathleen Quinlan and Timothy Busfield are wrestling with the chief cat.

When the cats are gathered all around the foyer it is clear that the chief cat on the chandelier and the cats looking down from the upper floor, as well as the cat balanced on the window to the far right, are all stuffed cats.

After Claire falls to her death, Lindsey runs into the kitchen and there is a brief shot of several cats standing menacingly, illuminated by lightning. But look closely! Every cat in that shot is fake!

And the cat which leaps out of the microwave is either stuffed, mechanical, animated or a combination of those as it has glowing red eyes. Then as it hurls toward Timothy Busfield, it appears to be just a stuffed tumbling mass of fur thrown at the camera.

The film was written and co-produced by Shaun Cassidy (yes, that Shaun Cassidy!) who was reportedly inspired to pen the script by his own three house cats (not sure what that says about his cats!)

It’s hard to say how the script might have differed if this movie had been produced for theatrical release. Likely the only reason the cats didn’t eat the phone man was because it would have been too gruesome for television. Busfield commented on the PG rating in one interview: “This is a total ‘PG’ movie to me. There are some moments that might make itty-bitty kids not want to be around cats, and I don’t want my 2 1/2 year-old seeing it, but I think anyone 5 years and up can see ‘Strays.'”

While some critics dismissed the film as being too ludicrous to take seriously, some appreciated it for what it was. Mike Hughes, writing for the Lansing State Journal, gave the lead feline actor specific praise, stating, “There is also a feline actor named Monty. His performance is so chilling that many of us may end up racing for no-cat condos.” And the opening line of Kirk Nicewonger’s review in The Daily Advocate is classic: “Picture Garfield on PCP, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of the general disposition of the feline co-stars of Strays.”

Despite mixed critical reviews, what easily could have been a second rate made-for-TV fiasco actually works fairly well as a neat little thriller. A lot of this is due to the fact the film does not take itself too seriously, allowing for some fun tongue-in-cheek moments. The actors also do a good job of selling the story, not only as it relates to the scares from the killer cats but also in the patter between the characters and the nifty way the script is written with elements re-introduced, as well as the somewhat stretched but still plausible explanations for the strange set up. Just be careful if you let your cats watch it with you . . . it might give them ideas!