CATAWISSA — It’s your typical rags-to-riches story. Two orphans adopted by a kind, caring couple and ending up starring in movies. The only thing keeping it fresh: these orphans are cats. Lovely, long hair domestics, to be exact.
Schmagel (rhymes with bagel) and his sister, Schmiscuit (rhymes with biscuit), both seven years old, were found at a Sheetz convenience store and adopted by Britany Hufnagle Long and her husband, Bhrett Long. An animal lover even as a child, Britany trained the cats, and Schmagel recently wrapped filming for “A Man Called Otto,” which also stars Tom Hanks.
Sounds like an easy path to fame and fortune, but it involved a whole lot of work for Hufnagle Long, 37, who grew up in Selinsgrove and graduated from Susquehanna University in 2008.
“I started a dog grooming business out of my parents’ house when I was 12 years old,” she said.
“She started showing her dogs when she was eight, against adults,” said her mother, LuAnn Hufnagle, of Selinsgrove. “We often said if she had four legs and a tail, she would be a happy child.”
Now the owner of Hill Crest Canine Country Club, she provides grooming, training, day care and dog boarding. She also competes in high end dog shows, where she was approached by an animal acting agent, which led to her animals appearing in shows like “Mare of Easttown,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Black Phone” and the upcoming “Inappropriate Behavior,” with Robert De Niro and Bobby Cannavale.
As far as “Otto,” Hufnagle Long actually had three animals in the movie: Schmagel, a cat named Bacon and a Papillon dog named Ritz. For Schmagel’s role, the animal acting agency asked for a cat that could look scraggly in early scenes — Hufnagle Long put egg yolks in Schmagel’s fluffy, gray fur to achieve that look. Ritz’s main description: “the neighbor’s annoying dog that pees on everything.”
Ritz rocked the role.
“He can do a leg hike where he looks like he’s peeing, but he’s actually not peeing,” Hufnagle Long said.
Hard work
Training a cat is especially challenging because they tend to work only as long as they’re having a good time — and being fed.
“My cat works for his food. You’ll notice he’s not fat,” Hufnagle Long said as Schmagel strutted around her shop, rubbing against people’s legs and waiting to be petted.
When Schmagel performs tricks — begging for food, sitting up on his hind legs — he gets treats. While filming “Otto,” he was fed after his tasks in each scene, but prior to a scene where he was supposed to lie on Hanks’ lap, Hufnagle Long fed him so he’d be in a relaxed “food coma.”
Training him for the movie, which was filmed largely outdoors in Pittsburgh between February and May, Hufnagle Long played with him on a concrete stage in Bloomsburg, getting him used to the cold and watching for signs like shivering to tell her he’d had enough. She took him to pet-friendly places like Petco to help with socialization.
“Keeping the pet safe is the top priority,” she said. “With a cat, you have to make sure they’re warm enough, that it’s pleasant for them.”
“I know the extensive work that goes into training,” LuAnn Hufnagle said. “I mean, it was weeks and weeks and weeks of preparation and planning, in little increments.”
As for working with Hanks, Hufnagle Long said he is personable and has an amazing memory.
“He cares about the animals,” she said. “He cares that people are having a good time.”
He also set aside time to get to know Schmagel.
“I thought that was quite impressive, that he got to know Schmagel on Schmagel’s terms,” LuAnn Hufnagle said.
Britany credited Bhrett and her family with holding down the fort at home when she was filming for days at a time.
“My family was excellent,” she said, noting how she missed her six-year-old daughter. “My mom and dad, my husband’s parents. They all stepped in to help.”
Her parents can’t say enough about her.
“Mark and I couldn’t be more proud because she’s done this on her own. and along with her husband, too. You couldn’t ask for a better guy,” LuAnn Hufnagle said.
Now that “Otto” is in theaters, Hufnagle Long continues working with her animal boarding business along with training animals to soak up the limelight in more Hollywood hits.
“It was a thing I didn’t expect growing up,” she said, smiling. “It’s been a unique experience.”
Cindy O. Herman lives in Snyder County. Email comments to her at CindyOHerman@gmail.com.
