Nora The Piano Cat“Puppies Vs. Babies” is a brand new three-part series from Animal Planet that will pit videos of cute pups and kittens against the smallest and cutest of humans in a contest to decide who’s cuter. And I am featured in the very first episode, which will air on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 10 pm. If you ask me, the program should be called “Kittens and Puppies Vs. Babies,” but they [Animal Planet execs] didn’t ask for my input.
I’ve known for a long time that I, personally, like classical music. My favorite composer is Bach. But how do other cats “feel” when exposed to classical music? A study at Colorado State University is looking at that question with regard to reducing the stress levels for cats during vet visits. Ingrid King, author of “Buckley’s Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher,” recently wrote an article about that study and what its findings could mean to your feline friends. You can read Ingrid’s article on her blog, The Conscious Cat.
Oh, and by the way, that is a photo of yours truly being used to illustrate the article. :-).
Can classical music lead to better veterinary care for cats?
What does Nancy Drew, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Ziggy, and yours truly have in common? We’re all represented by the licensing company Moxie & Company, LLC. And Moxie’s very own Arlene Scanlon and Laura Becker will be “representing” us all (and many more) at this year’s 2011 Licensing International Expo, June 14-16, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. I won’t be there in person – cats are such homebodies, you know – but don’t let that stop you from dropping by booth #1874 and saying hello to Arlene and Laura. Tell them Nora sent you.
P.S. The photo is from last year’s expo. Can’t wait to see what they come up with this year!
We all like things that are interactive, right? Like playing an instrument, for instance. Well, Sprint just created an interactive app called Kitty Chorus. The app contains loops from parts of various YouTube cat videos. You can then click on them to play the loops of your choice to create your own mix. It’s really a lot of fun. And very rhythmic! And best of all, I’m right in the middle of it playing my piano riff (that is if you click on me, and I hope you do). I’m in the second row, third from the left. You can even record your special mix. Have fun.
Check it out at: http://now.sprint.com/nexus/#/kitty-chorus?id12=MA:MS:20110411:ATN:HE
Mindaugas Piecaitis, composer of CATcerto, which was inspired by my piano playing and features me as guest soloist via a video screen, created a piano score of the Main Themes from CATcerto. And here’s a video of Clemens Kummer, a student of Piecaitis, playing the piano piece. If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a comment on YouTube and sharing it with your friends.
Kathy recently contacted me to find out what I’d been up to. While I do sleep for about eighteen hours a day, the rest of my time is spent doing some pretty fun things. Find out more at the Animal Planet – Cat Scratchings blog. Or click the graphic above. If you like what you read, give a holler – or at least a meow.
Okay. I have a reputation for not wanting to share my piano. I admit to being, at times, possessive and even getting angry or sulking when someone forces me from the bench and I have no choice but to take on the role of casual observer for however brief a period. Enough already. It’s been reported before in the media. Frankly it’s old news, as far as I’m concerned. But Burnell and Betsy seem to think it somehow cute. Strange, those humans.
So, when Ronnie was here today for her lesson and she sat at my beloved Yamaha, Burnell snapped these photos of my reaction. I’ve allowed them to be posted here because, to me, they represent something other than a possessive and unhappy cat.
My dear friends and fans, these photos reveal a cat who is so passionate about her music and her instrument that she finds it hard to be away from it for even a moment. I am not a feline who is content to remain on the sidelines. I am not a layer, but a player. And I make absolutely no apologies for that. And I don’t blame Ronnie for wanting to play on my piano. Who wouldn’t? But let’s get real here. I have thousands of fans (Billy Joel is among them) and my own website. Can she say the same? Click image to view larger.
What you see above is strictly a parody of an Oprah magazine cover. Burnell created it to amuse himself. He loves to do that. But it got me to thinking: gee, if it’s good enough for Oprah, then why not? I mean, I’ve got plenty to say, and I am an internationally known media star, not unlike Oprah. And let’s face it, there are just so many things to write about that interest cats and the people that love them. So, who knows? Perhaps the world is ready for a cat-centric magazine written by and for cats with the world’s greatest feline diva at the helm. Hmmm?
Keep an eye out for the upcoming details and contest rules. They’ll be posted here and on Facebook.
Frankly, I love the piano and have never really seen myself playing anything else. But something interesting did happen yesterday that has Burnell wondering – and yes, I admit to a slight glimmer of interest as well. It involves what I’m laying on in the above photograph (taken by my chief photographer, name starts with a B). Anyway, would you care to guess what magical thing lies within that dark and mysterious case? A guitar? Mandolin? Nope. It’s a baritone ukulele (pronounced oo-koo-lay-lay) – an instrument that Betsy gave Burnell for his recent 60th birthday.
So, there he was playing it yesterday and I just happened to walk by minding my own business, of course, when he held the ukulele down to me so that the sound hole was near my head and he plucked a few strings further up the neck. Wow! It sounded so cool and I immediately began rubbing my head on the strings to better feel the vibrations, kind of like when I lay my head on the piano keys after I play a few notes. Then one of the strings buzzed against one of my teeth. That felt weird, but I liked it. It changed the sound. So guess what I did next? And this part really seemed to surprise and please Burnell: I tried to pluck the string with my teeth. I think if I practiced some more, I might even be able to make a sound like Burnell did. I certainly hope he lets me try again. The problem is that unlike the piano, which is always open for me to play, his ukulele is kept hidden away in this dark and mysterious case when he’s not playing it.
Maybe if I keep using the case as a snuggy spot, he’ll let me try plucking the strings again. I certainly hope so.