Choir boys sing an 1800s 'cat duet opera' made entirely of 'meows' and people can't look away
Such deep lyrics.

"Meow."
Nearly everyone—usually involuntarily, and usually in the middle of the night—has been serenaded by a symphony of meows. But never quite like this.
Even before the days of memes and viral videos, cats have been the subject of human fascination, serving as whiskered muses for all kinds of art. People in the 1800s were particularly cat-crazed—believing that felines were responsible for everything from shifts in weather to curing epilepsy.
So it’s probably no wonder that in that time period, an entire opera was written about two chatty cats, composed entirely of “meows.”
The real kicker, however, is that the music is actually good. Especially when sung by two choir boys.
The absolutely silly opera, called “Duetto Buffo Di Due Gatti,” or “Funny Duet For Cats,” is clearly about … well … a cat fight. A friendly cat squabble, if you will, as indicated by all the different variations of “meow” in the piece.
If you thought the Meow Mix commercial was an earworm, wait till you get a load of this.As the boys sing mew and yowl (with impressive skill, mind you) audience members can barely contain their laughter before erupting into applause at the end of the performance. Perhaps some cat ears would have added to the production value, but other than that—10/10. No notes.
People in the YouTube comments were quick to admit that no matter how bonkers the song is, it’s hard not to be captivated by the boys’ mesmerizing voices. “The only time ‘you sound like a cat when you sing’ is a compliment,” one person wrote.
Others jokingly praised the performers for not splitting their sides mid-meow. “The way they both sing through the entire song with completely straight faces cracks me up every single time,” one person quipped.
Perhaps the best comment, however, was written by a cat parent:
“When my cat dies, I'm gonna play this at her funeral.”
Acclaimed Italian opera composer Gioachino Rossini often gets credited for “Duetto Buffo Di Due Gatti.” However, many historians agree that Rossini only heavily influenced the feline-inspired piece. Regardless, it’s a classic kitty-centric musical number adored by opera singers far and wide.
Check out these professional singers not only nail the musical portion, but fully commit to their cat characters. It’s meowvelous.You’re welcome for the bizarre bit of musical history, and a song that’s sure to be stuck in your head for the rest of your life.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."