Cats Out Of The Bag

How to Actually Pull Off Cats Out Of The Bag

The trick sounds simple on paper. You produce a bag that looks completely empty, show it inside and out, and then pull real cats out of it one by one. In practice, it takes about six months of dedicated rehearsal before it looks like anything other than someone fumbling with plush toys. The whole thing hinges on misdirection, a modified drawstring bag, and a lot of patience. Here's how the secret actually works. You use a bag with a false bottom or an inner pocket system. The cats — typically small stuffed animals or real kittens in a professional stage show — are hidden in there before you pick up the bag. The audience thinks you're reaching into an empty bag when you're really just drawing from your hidden compartment. A simple rubber band retention system keeps the false panel in place while you handle it. I built my first version using a canvas drawstring bag, two zipped inner pockets sewn into the lining, and three small kitten-shaped plush toys. I spent about three weeks just practicing the loading sequence until I could do it blindfolded without making any sound. The trick fails fast if you rustle the bag or hesitate while loading because audiences pick up on micro-pauses. They'll notice before your brain registers that something went wrong.

The real trick isn't the mechanics. It's the presentation. You need to make the audience believe the bag is empty before you ever touch it. Hold it up by the corners, shake it visibly, run your hands along the inside while maintaining eye contact with whoever's watching. If you skip the empty-showing phase, the whole illusion collapses immediately.

What Nobody Tells You About Building the Bag

Most tutorials online tell you to buy a bag and modify it. That's backwards. Start with the cats first. Figure out exactly which ones you're using, how many, and in what order. Then build the bag around them. I learned this the hard way after wasting two hundred dollars on a bag that was too narrow for the third plush I wanted to use. It jammed halfway through the reveal and I looked like an amateur at a local magic club meeting. The inner pockets need to be accessible with one hand while the other hand is doing the distracting movement. Double-sided Velcro strips work better than zippers for quick reloads during a live set. Zippers make noise. Velcro makes a quiet shhh sound that gets lost under crowd noise and music. Another detail people miss: the weight distribution matters. An empty bag feels different in your hands than a loaded one. If you're doing this live, have someone on the other side of the stage hand you a pre-loaded bag between routines. Don't try to reload on camera unless you've practiced that extensively.

Common Pitfalls That Ruin the Trick

The biggest mistake beginners make is rushing the reveal. You need to pull each cat out slowly, one at a time, letting the audience register what just happened before producing the next one. Three cats in rapid succession looks like a magic trick. Three cats paused for two seconds each looks like something impossible. The timing difference is everything. Second mistake: showing the bag empty from only one angle. Turn it around. Let three different people reach inside if you can. If one person finds nothing, the other two will assume the same. Group confirmation makes the impossible feel validated. A third issue that comes up constantly: the cats fall over or look obviously fake. Use weighted plush toys if you can find them. Fill them with rice or birdshot so they sit upright when placed on a table. A floppy stuffed animal breaks the suspension of disbelief faster than anything else.

Where This Trick Actually Fails

Cats Out Of The Bag does not work in small intimate settings where people can see your hands clearly from every angle. It needs distance and stage lighting. I've tried this at dinner tables with close friends and it felt clumsy and exposed every single time. The trick depends on controlled viewing angles and environmental distraction. Without those elements, you're just showing someone a bag with hidden compartments and calling it magic. It also doesn't translate well to video without editing. What looks impressive live becomes obvious when played back in slow motion because the camera catches your hand movements that your body language was supposed to disguise. Filming this trick requires multiple camera angles and careful editing to hide the load. If you're looking for a simpler alternative that achieves a similar effect with less equipment, try the silk scarf production routine. Same principle of appearing-to-produce-from-nothing, but far easier to execute and no bag construction required. I switched to silks for casual performances and only use the cat bag for scheduled stage shows where I have full control over the environment.

Resources and Where to Get Started

Dan Harlan's DVD on production tricks covers the foundational principles this routine builds on. The Jean Bouvier approach to bag manipulation is still the gold standard for anyone serious about this type of illusion. You can find both on Genii Magic Resource or directly from the performers' websites. For the bag itself, I'd recommend buying a high-quality canvas bag from a theatrical supply company and modifying it yourself rather than purchasing a pre-made trick bag. The pre-made versions cut corners on the pocket placement and end up feeling cheap in your hands. Practice your load sequence in front of a mirror for at least two hours before attempting it for an audience. You'll catch every twitch and hesitation that way. After that, perform it for one friend who doesn't do magic and watch their face. If they lean forward instead of stepping back, you're ready.