Published: November 25, 2006 07:31 pm      

Stray becomes a star under the bright lights

DANVILLE — Wyatt Dixson is one cool cat who hasn’t let fame go to his head.

The feline thespian had a choice role in Red Mask Players’ “Bell, Book and Candle,” which ended Nov. 18. Now, the long-haired handsome boy is resting on his laurels, no doubt waiting for Hollywood to call.

Despite all the curtain calls, Wyatt remains a down-to-earth, friendly fellow.

“He’s the most mild-mannered cat,” said Jennifer Dixson, his owner who also serves as agent, cat wrangler and stage mom. “He’s game to do anything.”

“I’ve never seen anybody quite as easy as my Wyatt,” she said, cuddling the cat.

Wyatt plays the glamour-puss role well, with his yellow eyes and long silky coat.

During a recent photo shoot, he started to squirm in Jennifer’s arms. “Oh, the pains of being a star,” Jennifer joked, shaking her head.

It’s hard to believe he was once a starving stray, trying to survive in the country.

One night in June 2005, Jennifer heard one of her cats on the front porch yowling and wailing. She turned on the light and was surprised to see a black cat sitting in the yard in her rural Danville home.

When he didn’t run, she was afraid he was injured or ill. But he let her pick him up and she thought, “This is a dump (abandoned cat). This was somebody’s baby.”

The cat, about a year-and-a-half old then, was in poor shape: he had fleas, mites and worms; he wasn’t neutered and his claws were so long that he cut himself behind the ear when scratching.

Jennifer and her husband, Dwain, fed him, tried to brush out his coat and named him Wyatt. When they noticed the sore behind his ear a couple of weeks later, they took him to the vet and he got a complete makeover, including neutering.

He was 11 pounds then. Now, at age 3, he’s 17½ pounds.

He gets along with the Dixsons’ other cats: Elvis, about 14; Mina, 9; and brothers, Oscar, Toby and Emmett, all 6.

His big break in the theater world happened by accident.

“I didn’t intend to bring him down and be a stage mom,” Jennifer said.

She was working props on the play when director Dave Downing said he was looking for a cat to play the role of Pyewacket. The script actually calls for a Siamese.

Jennifer brought Wyatt to the auditions and he was taken onstage. Everyone at the audition clapped, hooted and hollered to test his reaction. “He just looked at everyone like they’re crazy,” Jennifer said.

Of course, he got the part.

Wyatt had three entrances and exits, spending just a few minutes on stage. He also returned for the curtain calls.

In the play, he’s the “familiar,” the one who does the witchy work ordered by Gillian the witch (played by Lisa Richter).

“He doesn’t do anything,” Jennifer said. “He’s just a very heavy prop that sheds.”

Richter carried Wyatt around and he was fine with a stranger handling him.

Downing announced to the other cast members that a live cat would be appearing in the play, so be mindful of allergies. But everyone was OK with it.

Being a rookie actor, Wyatt had to share a dressing room with the women cast members. But he did have his own litter box.

After the play, audience members came backstage to stroke him and rave about his performance. He accepted their accolades with regal aplomb.

After all that “ooh-ing” and “ahh-ing” over the weekends, Wyatt was a bit difficult to live with on Mondays and Tuesdays, Jennifer said jokingly, explaining he missed all that attention.

“He’s a natural ham,” she said. When company visits the Dixsons, the other cats run, but Wyatt stays underfoot.

She can’t understand why anyone dumped him.

“He’s such a joy to our lives and he’s so much fun,” she said. “Somebody dumped this angel out in the middle of nowhere.”

Holding the cat close to her face, she said, “What could you have found wrong with this guy?”

All of the other cats in household, except Mina, are rescues. Like most cat lovers, Jennifer has a soft heart for strays. She hopes Wyatt’s story — from the streets to stardom — inspires others to rescue stray cats and dogs.

Jennifer works part-time at Walgreens Accounting and Dwain is a software developer with Motorola.

Wyatt’s story reminds me of Morris, the cat who was adopted from an animal shelter and became a TV star. It sounds like Wyatt has that same easygoing personality.

I feel honored that he granted me an interview, even if it was through his spokeswoman. Let’s hope his celebrity will further the cause of animal awareness.

Contact Mary Wicoff at 477-5161, send an e-mail to mwicoff@dancomnews.com or write to Commercial-News, 17 W. North, Danville, IL 61832.