I’ve been sculpted out cheese by Friskies, been an answer on game shows (in the US and in Russia), been projected onto a thirty-foot screen on a raised drawbridge in St. Petersburg in front of 30,000 people, been the subject of several musical works, most notably CATcerto by composer/conductor Mindaugas Piecaitis, been the subject of a half-hour documentary on Extraordinary Animals first broadcast in the UK, and now I find out that in November of 2012 I was an answer to a clue in a NY Times crossword puzzle. Looks like I have been pretty much accepted into the realm of popular culture. What fun! (Click image for a larger view.)

As you may recall, my first video was screened at Graffest 2012, an open-air cinema festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, before a crowd of 30,000. It must have been so cool to see it projected onto a 400 square meter screen hanging on a raised drawbridge. Anyway, I received a Special Mention as a cat creator, and they sent me a certficate all the way from Russia! (Click thumbnails to view larger.)

Supposedly for “security reasons,” Facebook recently blocked my Facebook profile page. So, at the moment (perhaps forever) it is not accessible. If you have tried to go there, please know that Burnell has created an FB Page (confusing, I know) for me at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nora-The-Piano-Cat. Seems Facebook may not like the fact that a cat has a personal profile. But they don’t mind me having a Page created by a fan, in this case, Burnell. Well, I suppose there is no use crying over spilt cream.

If you want to “Like” my new Page, please go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nora-The-Piano-Cat and click the “Like” button. Then bookmark the page and go there for the latest day-to-day scoop on me, Nora The Piano Cat. Of course, my website is also a great place to check out for all the bigger events of my life.

It’s all about the mewsic,
Nora

Yours truly and CATcerto, by Lithuanian composer Mindaugas Piecaitis, was featured on an episode of the Russian TV show, “The Battle of Psychics.” How about that?

Here’s how it works: A human psychic is isolated in a sound proof booth and a piece of music or other audio is played for the audience. The sound is also connected to a large circular bowl or disc of some sort with a thin layer of sand on the surface. The sound cause the sand to bounce around, forming patterns. After the sound has been played, the psychic is then invited to view the sand patterns and attempt to guess the sound or music.

Personally, I don’t understand Ukrainian, but I get the feeling the psychic guessed correctly. Perhaps, one of my Ukrainian fans can let me know.

I 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.

I know this took longer than expected, or at least longer than I expected. Burnell says he’s just had a lot on his plate. I reminded him of exactly who he worked for, and who was responsible for the food on that plate. Well, it seems to have lit a small fire under him, because here it is: “A Victorian Salon: Featuring Nora The Piano Cat.” I picked 12 of my favorite photos and Burnell transformed them on the computer to resemble works of art, which is not all that hard seeing that I’m pretty much a work of art just as I am.

The whole Victorian-themed thing was his idea. He told me about the salons that avantgarde artists during the time of Oscar Wilde would organize to show their work. They would hold these salons at various homes and pretty much take over a wall or several and hang their works from floor to ceiling. There was live music and food and plenty to drink, as well as much conversation, heated debate, and laughter. In keeping with the period, Burnell placed each image of me in an ornate golden frame and displayed them on background patterns just like the fancy wallpaper of the time. I hope you like it. (Scroll down to view a gallery of the 13 images.)

This high-quality 12-month Wall Calendar is printed on thick 100lb cover weight paper.

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Being famous would not be nearly as much fun without the help of my personal assistants, Burnell and Betsy. It leaves me more time to do what I do best: playing piano, of course, but also looking beautiful while doing it. Lately, however, I’ve become somewhat suspicious of Burnell’s motives as regards his photography, especially his photography of me. Why, today he went so far as to lay a Mandarin orange next to me as he began snapping away. I mean, what’s up with that? It has nothing to do with my piano. But he seemed so satisfied with the result (as I’ve said before, humans are so easy to please), that I’ve decided to allow it for the time being. He calls these silly images art photography. I guess it’s a small price to pay for the help he has given me over the years. I would, however, like to hear from my fans about this, so I’ve included his latest photo with this post. Please let me know what you think. (Click image to view larger.)

Oh, and there’s one thing I will never ever do: I will never pose with clothes on! I am a diva, after all.

Into astrology? Are you a teenaged human girl? Or simply know one? Check out the December 2012 issue of Astro Girl Magazine and flip on over to page 73 to see a few of the World’s Most Talented Pets. Now, I must admit that I really don’t regard myself as a “pet,” but “world’s most talented” certainly strikes a chord with me. (Click image to view larger.)

Three out-of-town visitors in two days! It’s a delight to make the lives of so many humans brighter than they would have been otherwise. What can I say? It’s a gift! And this morning when I heard the doorbell, I just knew it was someone seeking an audience with the diva. Enter Carol Hieronymus from Pompano Beach, Florida. The story is she was visiting friends in the neighborhood and mentioned what a huge fan she was of Nora The Piano Cat. To which her friends replied, “Why, she lives just down the block.” Personally though, I’m sure she came here to seek me out. She just wanted her friends to think she was here to see them. Anyway, I played for her, posed for a few photos and allowed her to pet my head. Humans are so easy to please. Carol soon rushed off to a waiting taxi on her way to the airport, taking with her a wonderful memory of the day she met the diva. (Click image to view larger version.)

I dearly love visitors! I mean, what’s not to love? They came to see me! Well, Maxx & Annetta drove here all the way from Darlington, Maryland just to meet the diva. And I was more than happy to grant them an audience. I even played for them. Of course they were so pleased and they took pictures and Maxx even sat with me briefly on the piano bench. Normally, I don’t allow that kind of familiarity, but there was something about him that seemed kind and genuine, especially when he intimated that four other cats had consented to take him in. That says a lot about a human’s character, don’t you think?