The Cat’s Eye - Stone Cold Magic Magazine

Introduction by Jeff Stone

This Month we have a guest contributor for the free effect of the month, Don Theo III. Don generously contributed The Cat’s Eye from his e-book Teardrop. This is a fun presentation for an effect that the mentalists among us will be familiar with. Enjoy the words of Don Theo III:

There is an amazing book written by Rupert Sheldrake entitled, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: and Other Unexplained Powers of Animals. The book is filled with tales of psychic animals. This routine will teach you how to read the mind of a pet. I usually do this at private parties when a pet is in the house. It could be any type of animal.

Effect:

A spectator draws a picture on a pad, tears it off, and places it in their pocket. They are instructed to go into another room and take their (or the hostesses) pet. Here’s a fun line. Tell them to go into another room with their drawing and as they start to leave tell them “And your little dog too!”

Before they dispatch, give them these instructions:
“Take the cat (dog, parrot, ferret, goldfish or whatever else you are dealing with) into the other room and remove the drawing from your pocket. Show it to fluffy there. Make sure they make eye contact with the picture, then place it back in your pocket and bring the little fella back out to me.” While they are doing this, you can share a story or two with the rest of those around you about the psychic abilities of pets. Check out the weird wild stuff in the Sheldrake book if you need to. When the spectator returns with pet in tow, you pick up the pet and stare deeply into its eyes. After a few minutes you reproduce the drawing on the paper that you never even touched.

Method:

You will need an impression pad. My current weapon of choice is the Son of Mindscan pads available at www.outlaw-effects.com. John Riggs also has some wonderful products along this line, namely the Beautiful Butterfly. Either way, you need an impression pad that has instant read capabilities. Have the spectator draw the picture. Get your peek by taking the next sheet off, reading the back to demonstrate how to show the animal the drawing. The rest is just presentation.

I really milk this one. Especially, if the pet is a cow. Sorry, that was horrible. Anyhow, the moment when you are staring in the animal’s eyes “picking up” the image should last no less than a minute and a half. Stone . . . cold . . . silence. People will laugh. I mean, there is no way you are really doing this…right? Then you do.

I have always felt drawing duplications to be a tad bit unbelievable and therefore suggestive of some sort of trickery. This gives your audience a reason. Try it out, you will love it. I was not going to include this but I get giddy with glee imagining the rest of my friends reading the cat’s eye.

Don Theo III