in the first frame, why don't we see the cats shadow like we do the mule?

Staged, faked, or not, doesn't matter. Mules can be fearless and tough. I kept pack mules when I was in the outfitting business, and if a strange dog or coyote showed up, the mules were all over it. I had one molly mule that was particularly vicious with dogs. She would go along as if she didn't see the dog until she was in range and then look out. She usually tried to bite first, kick second. She even did that with my own dog, who she saw almost daily. Some times I swore they were baiting each other.

Look under the "General" thread, I think it was.