NAME Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
AGES Russian circus performer Gregory Popovich is 43; his daughter, Anastasia, is 15.
HOMETOWN Las Vegas
TALENT It's called ''pet theater'' because the animals — cats, dogs, white doves, and white mice — are placed into human situations where they take on roles like lazy student, train passenger, and emcee.
SCAREDY CATS ''It is nerve-wracking when we move to a new stage,'' he admits. ''The animals are very sensitive. We train two cats for each trick. If I see this kitty isn't even watching me, I'll say to Anastasia, 'This cat doesn't want to do this trick today, so let's pick out the different cat.' If the backup cat also doesn't want to do the trick, then I ask Anastasia to jump through the hoop.'' —Mandi Bierly