Orchestra accompanies Nora the cat playing piano in professionally composed 'CATcerto'
Nora recently crossed the rainbow bridge, but her musical legacy lives on.

Ever seen a cat play the piano with an orchestra?
We've seen a lot of musical cat content here at Upworthy, from The Kiffness blowing us all away with his cat howling duets to a boys choir singing a 19th century opera about a cat fight composed entirely of meows. But somehow we missed one of the greatest cat collaborations ever—Nora the piano-playing cat being accompanied by an entire professional chamber orchestra.
In a video resurfaced from 2009, we see Lithuanian composer and conductor Mindaugas Piecaitis leading the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra in an original piece composed by him…and Nora the Piano Cat. A large screen hanging behind the orchestra shows Nora at the piano, waiting through the orchestral introduction with her paws on the keys before finally beginning to play her part of the CATcerto.
Of course, we can see that the piece has been composed around Nora's notes and not the other way around, but the effect is extraordinary. Nora is making music, and Piecaitis has embellished and illuminated it with his expert artistic ear.
The piece is a musical journey, from a slow haunt to an upbeat romp and several layers in between. If you close your eyes, you might not even realize the piano is being played by a cat. Even the dissonant chords sound good with Piecaitis arrangement, and it's an impressive feat both for the cat and the composer. (Piecaitis even got to go meet with Nora in person a few years after their collaborative performance. And of course, in typical cat fashion, she only played a couple of notes for him. Nobody can make a cat do anything, including play the piano, which makes Nora's videos all the more delightful.)
Watch and enjoy:
Sadly, Nora crossed the rainbow bridge in February of 2024, after a good, long 19 years with her humans, Betsy and Burnell. As the couple tells it, Nora had been a rescue cat, and one day they heard some repeated notes coming from the piano. The piano playing became a regular hobby for the gray tabby, and after one of Betsy's piano students suggested she share Nora's special talents on YouTube, she became one of the earliest viral video stars.
The "CATcerto" is but one of many Nora the Piano Cat creations, which span from books to artwork, and she's even the main character in an upcoming animated children's show.
"She may be an animated character now and she will live on, but she was real," Betsy told ABC 6 News in Philadelphia. "I just think she wanted to send a message about the importance of music and creativity in the world and I think she will inspire a whole generation of young musicians and artists."
Who wouldn't be inspired by a sweet kitty plunking away on the piano with her paws? Watch Nora's humans describe what she meant to them and the series that's currently in the works:
You can follow Nora the Piano Cat on YouTube.
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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."