Nora the Piano Cat

Nora was a grey tabby rescue cat from Philadelphia who became a worldwide sensation for a single, irresistibly endearing talent: she played the piano. Adopted in 2004 by piano teacher Betsy Alexander and her artist husband Burnell Yow!, Nora began climbing onto the piano bench at about a year old and pressing the keys with her paws — at first imitating the students who came and went all day, then seemingly for the sheer pleasure of it. In 2007 the couple posted a short video of Nora at the keyboard to YouTube; it exploded, racking up tens of millions of views and turning the unassuming house cat into a global star. Nora went on to appear on television around the world, inspired a real orchestral composition — the "CATcerto" by Lithuanian composer Mindaugas Piečaitis, which paired a live orchestra with video of Nora as the soloist — and even featured in advertisements and a line of merchandise. She practised, by her owners' reckoning, almost daily, sometimes using more than one paw and occasionally striking the keys with real musical intent. Nora played on into old age and died in 2019, but her videos remain a beloved cornerstone of early internet cat culture.