Nora The Piano CatI performed the “Thank You” concert on 1.23.2013, about a week after receiving hundreds of emails and Facebook comments wishing me a speedy recovery from a jealous sibling’s bite that, while not requiring stitches, did necessitate a trip to the vet to have the wound cleansed and to get a shot of antibiotics. And while I did lay low for a few days, partially to avoid my nemesis and partially to heal, it is always true that the show must go on, you know. So, it wasn’t long before I was back at the piano. And Burnell was there to capture it.
Last year, B&B bought a lovely red Honda CRV after their beloved Toyota Camry developed a crack in the cylinder block – whatever that is. Cadence, key and arpeggio I know. Cylinder block? Not a clue. Of course, I know it has something to do with a car, but cars are important to me only in that they deliver me to the vet for my twice yearly physical. So, you can imagine how much I absolutely adore the car.
Anyway, B&B seem to require it, so they bought it. And for over a year it has been parked or been driven to the vet or to flea markets, art shows, trips to the country, shopping for cat food, etc., and all the time it has had a decorative license plate on the front advertising the place where it was purchased. Isn’t that kind of like wearing your t-shirt inside out? Not that I would ever wear a t-shirt, mind you, even though a few fans have expressed an interest in dressing me up.
Well, finally B&B wised up and decided to advertise something really worth advertising – me! Now, wherever they drive to, no matter how far, I will always be the first to arrive. That’s kind of neat. (Click the photo to view it larger.)
But before you start thinking that maybe you’d like a Nora The Piano Cat decorative plate on the front of your car, beware that some States require a regular license plate, front and back. And some cars don’t have a plate holder on the front. You definitely need a plate holder to screw the aluminum plate to.
According to Cafepress, the following States require a regular State-issued license plate on both the front and the back of your car: WA, OR, ID, WY, MONT., ND, SD, MN, WI, NE, IA, IL, MO, CO, UT, NV, CA, TX, OH, VA, NY, NH, VT, ME, CT, NJ, RI, DC, HI, AK, MD.
If you are lucky enough to live in one of the other States (not on the list above), and you have a plate holder on the front of your car, and you would like me keeping my eyes on the road ahead as you travel through this magnificent land, you can get your very own Nora The Piano Cat aluminum decorative plate on the Raven’s Wing Studio online shop.
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.
We’ve all heard the hype about low-pact this or that. Low-impact running. Low-impact aerobics. I really don’t know what the big deal is. I’ve been practicing low-impact exercise for years. It’s really quite simple: if the cat toy comes within reach of where I happen to be napping, I’ll swat it. If not, I go back to napping. Low-impact!
Now I’m not advocating this method for everyone, and there are times that I actually work up a sweat (well, sort of). And for those who think me a bit robust at 12 lbs., I’d love to quote a fan who recently came to my defense when she wrote, “Nora’s not fat. She’s fluffy.” How true. How true.
My newest calendar for 2011 features the seventeen winning poems from the 2010 Nora Purr-etry Contest. It also has all-new images of me. And check this out: the poems were written by my fans from around the world – as far away as South Africa and Australia. The photographs are by my personal assistant and chief photo guy, Burnell.
The calendar is available from my online store at: http://www.cafepress.com/ravenswingshop.493221550
Note: Authors of the seventeen winning entries each receive a 2011 Nora Purr-etry Calendar as part of their prize package.
This is a very short (16 seconds) cell-phone video posted by a fan to YouTube of her kitten watching one of my videos on the computer. There have been so many of these posted, some of them even showing the cat pawing the screen as I play. Do you share your life with a cat who has taken notice of my videos? Let me know.
The poster writes: “I started watching this video and my kitten jumps up on my lap, sits like a person like lounging on my legs and watches the entire video of Nora playing the piano. I thought it was so funny I took a quick video of it on my phone.”
Get your very own "I (heart) Nora" mug by clicking HERE.
(From The Sun Chronicle by Rose Gates) If you are a cat lover with a computer you have surely heard of Nora, the piano playing cat from Pennsylvania. The gray tabby’s YouTube video has been viewed over 20 million times! Sure, you say, any cat can walk across the keys of a piano and produce a few notes. However, once you see Nora at the piano, you have to agree that her musical ability is impressive. She sits intently at the piano bench and uses both of her paws to play. She appears to be enjoying herself immensely and choosing the keys with deliberation.
(read more…)
You may contact Rose Gates at UsedCatSalesman@aol.com
Well, well, well. My human’s are breathing a sigh of relief now that the live feed for the Today Show is over. Me? I’m just back to my usual routine: sleeping, eating, making music.
The day for me began quite early, say 4:30 am, when Betsy got up and started to do some final straightening up in preparation for the arrival of the Today Show technical crew.
They arrived with their satellite truck at around 6 am. Then from 7:30 or so, I began to be called upon for what they call “teasers” in the business: just a few seconds on camera to let the folks watching at now what was coming up in the next hour. For the teasers, Burnell held me and Betsy petted my head. I don’t like to be held all that much, but I will tolerate being held by Burnell. I feel pretty safe in his arms – something about the way he cradles my feet and holds me very close to him. Anyway, we had three of those teasers, and in between I was back in the green room (actually it was the bedroom upstairs, and it isn’t even green).
Finally the big moment arrived and we were live via satellite with Matt Lauer. I know there was concern that I might not be in the mood to play a few notes once the cameras were rolling and the world, as they say, was watching. But, much to the deliight of Betsy, I did feel like playing a brief riff. I played more after the cameras stopped. All in all, it went quite well I thought. Hope you enjoyed it.
For those of you who missed it, you can watch the video at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32474096#32474096
Click the thumbnails to view larger images.
Entertainment Weekly – on the newsstand August 7th.
Badische Zeitung – Article on CATcerto by German writer Constance Frey
USA Today – Coming soon.
NBC Xtra – aired on Wednesday, the 5th of August.