Tweed Heads ‘Catmantoo’ man Robert Dollwet wants other cats to skateboard just like Didga does

A LOCAL man training cats to be YouTube sensations wants other people’s pets to be online stars too.

HE’S the Tweed Heads man training cats to be YouTube sensations – and now he’s determined to help average pet owners turn their felines into online superstars as well.

Robert Dollwet’s YouTube channel “Catmantoo” has amassed an impressive 14 million views and includes videos of his cat Didga jumping over a dog while skateboarding.

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Now the Tweed Heads-based animal behaviourist is showing the world cats are just as good as dogs when it comes to learning stunts and has added dozens of training videos, some of which have been viewed more than two million times.

CAT WHISPERER: Trainer Robert Dollwet taught his cat Didga to skateboards as well as other tricks - and he wants to teach other people’s cats to do the same. Picture: Tim Marsden

In the new video which Mr Dollwet posted last month, you can see Didga hopping on to a skateboard and then jumping over a rottweiler called Lucy.

Didga then lands back on the skateboard which continued to roll.

“The video was a year and a half in the making, from training to actually filming,” said Mr Dollwet who has also trained dogs for decades.

YOU CAN DO IT: Dollwet taught his skateboarding cat Didga. Picture: Tim Marsden

“We had to take lots of baby micro-steps to teach Didga the trick.

“I want to show that cats can also be taught things, anywhere from walking on a leash to skateboarding tricks.”

Dollwet said it might encourage people not to let their cats roam.

“You can give an indoor cat all the experiences of an outdoor one without the dangers,” he said.

But Mr Dollwet said a lot of patience was crucial.

“It can take up to a year to teach a cat a new trick,” he said.

“You need to take it slowly, very slowly.”