Litter-box rock

The Rock Cats are “pretty much a one-hit wonder,” animal trainer Samantha Martin jokes. “Their songs all sound the same…it’s kind of like free-form jazz.” Using treats to reward actions such as strumming (“like some musicians, cats are very difficult to work with,” she says), Martin formed the three-piece band—as well as the Acro-Cats, who perform feats like riding skateboards—from her Amazing Animals litter. On Sunday 30, both feline groups—along with four rats, a chicken, a kinkajou walking a tightrope and a groundhog driving a car—appear in two shows at Mars Gallery in the West Loop. In addition to managing what she says is the only cat show in the Midwest, Martin runs a licensed private zoo near Milwaukee Avenue and Addison Street, and makes classroom visits with friends like Claudia Coatimundi, a South American raccoon. Martin, who has traveled as far as Italy with her show, has an appropriate ride for her touring band—a 28-foot motor home. To book a performance or for more info, visit circuscats.com. See Around Town.