Nora (cat)
Nora is a gray tabby cat, rescued from a shelter in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, . Nora was named after the artist Leonora Carrington. The students encouraged the creation of a YouTube video, which was uploaded in early 2007.It appears that she likes the attention it brings her, but she also plays when alone. In addition, she gravitates toward the D-E-F range on the keyboard and includes the black keys in her playing. The National Science Foundation has included Nora in a video about animal behavior.
Nora was adopted, and when a year old, Nora climbed up onto the bench in front of a Yamaha Disklavier piano in the middle of the night and began to play. Since that time, Nora has continued to play the piano on a daily basis, sometimes playing duets with her owner and her owner s students. A CD of music with one song incorporating Nora s playing has been released by the Laurel Canyon Animal Company. .
She does express a preference for playing with students, when they play Bach, and for playing a specific piano, a Yamaha Disklavier. It was featured on many talk shows, newspapers and news channels including Martha Stewart, CNN, The Daily Show, Public Radio International, The Today Show and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Nora has attracted the interest of both musicians and scientists, who are fascinated by her rare behavior.
It received large numbers of views and attracted the attention of other media. Betsy Alexander has written a composition called Fur Release: A Prelude for Paws and Hands, incorporating Nora s music.
