Other name(s) | Nora the Piano Cat |
---|---|
Species | Felis catus |
Sex | Female |
Born | September 10, 2004 |
Died | February 5, 2024 | (aged 19)
Years active | 2007–2024 |
Known for | Playing the piano |
Owner | Burnell Yow and Betsy Alexander |
Nora the Piano Cat (September 10, 2004[1] – February 5, 2024) was a gray tabby cat, rescued from the streets of Camden, New Jersey, by the Furrever Friends animal shelter. Nora gained international prominence after a YouTube video of her playing the piano went viral in 2007. The Times of London, in its online edition, characterized her music as being "something halfway between Philip Glass and free jazz".[2]
The National Science Foundation has included Nora in a video about animal behavior which was shown in museums in the fall of 2007. Pianist Magazine, based in London, featured her in an article.[3]
On February 5, 2024, Betsy Alexander, one of her owners, announced Nora's death on her Facebook page: "She passed peacefully at home on her favorite blanket and surrounded by us".[4]