sqweee-wahhhh

February 11, 2016 10:49 PM

There are several videos of cats playing theremins on Youtube, but this one is the best.
posted by Going To Maine (39 comments total)

but this one is the best

CORRECT
posted by figurant at 10:55 PM on February 11, 2016 [11 favorites]

Wow, I am actually the cat on the floor in that video! I can tell you that was him just warming up, you should hear his theme from the X-Files.
posted by biffa at 11:04 PM on February 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

Title is true and correct. Video is as expected. A++ will click again.
posted by nerdfish at 1:52 AM on February 12, 2016

Does she take requests? If so, would you please ask her to play Ancient Krell Music from Forbidden Planet. Thank-you in advance.
posted by fairmettle at 2:02 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

My cat gave me a look of abject horror when I played this in her presence.
posted by sciencegeek at 2:27 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Is that a cat playing a theremin....??? OR, is that a theremin playing a cat...????? Think about it.
posted by HuronBob at 3:17 AM on February 12, 2016 [11 favorites]

"I have no idea how these people got their cats to play theremines, or why..."

... but it is cool.
posted by Mezentian at 3:31 AM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

While forwarding this on to someone who should know better, I was reminded of this fantastic talk from Pinboard (and MeFi's) own Maciej Cegłowski. And there it is - the self same cat playing the exact same Theremin.

I approved of this happenstance all round.
posted by davemee at 3:52 AM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

Oh god yes. I show this to everybody. You'd be amazed at how many awkward silences at parties can be dispelled with "hey, ever seen a cat play a theremin?" His look at 0:21 is pure bafflement, then he decides to just see if maybe nibbling it will work. (I'm sure it's in the cat handbook somewhere: "Have you tried biting $THING?") But I nearly fell out of my chair the first time I saw the little guy at the end. I feel ya, buddy. Sometimes nothing makes sense to me, either.
posted by informavore at 4:03 AM on February 12, 2016 [4 favorites]

It's the other cat on the floor that makes this video great.
posted by Gev at 5:22 AM on February 12, 2016 [7 favorites]

I was hoping to find second and third best [inside]!
posted by Evstar at 5:23 AM on February 12, 2016

That cat's picking up good vibrations.
posted by davebush at 5:28 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Nothing else that happens to me today will be as great as that. Thanks for ruining my Friday.
posted by briank at 5:34 AM on February 12, 2016

I love this. All my cat does is walk across my laptop.
posted by Capybara at 5:40 AM on February 12, 2016

That cat's picking up good vibrations.

Are they giving you good excitations though?
posted by Mezentian at 5:52 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Meanwhile, in Japan...
posted by effbot at 5:53 AM on February 12, 2016 [6 favorites]

That seems big, even in Japan.

But why do they have Russian nesting dolls?
posted by Mezentian at 5:58 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

don't bite the electricity!!!!
posted by mittens at 5:58 AM on February 12, 2016

I want some, some energy
The ultimate discovery
Electric blue for me
Never more to be free

*dad dancing*
posted by Mezentian at 6:00 AM on February 12, 2016

Holy shit.

I have two cats. And a Theremin!

I'll be back in like, I dunno, seventy hours.
posted by bondcliff at 6:04 AM on February 12, 2016 [35 favorites]

I have two cats. And a Theremin!

No joke, I made a noise like a volcano breaching the water...
But I don't think you're going to get two cats to share a Theremin unless they don't hate each other, and you ahve some kind of cat-nip encrusted, feathered bobbling-thing.

But, frankly, who cares about gravitational waves in the space-time continuum?

What you can do is not the SCIENCE we need, but the SCIENCE we deserve.
posted by Mezentian at 6:08 AM on February 12, 2016 [4 favorites]

Oh, I don't plan on having them share the thing. I'm just going to let them take turns and whichever one is better at the Theremin will henceforth be The Favorite cat and the other one, well, yeah. We'll still love the other one. I guess.
posted by bondcliff at 6:11 AM on February 12, 2016 [16 favorites]

and the other one, well, yeah.

Or you could buy a Moog for that one.
posted by Mezentian at 6:14 AM on February 12, 2016 [10 favorites]

It's the other cat on the floor that makes this video great.

The one on the floor is kind of the John Paul Jones of cats.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:33 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm going to give Mathowie a piece of my mind for not giving me the standard signing bonus of two cats and a theremin upon joining Metafilter.
posted by dr_dank at 6:36 AM on February 12, 2016 [7 favorites]

I have two cats. And a Theremin!

You have the makings of a great Beck parody.
posted by Esteemed Offendi at 6:51 AM on February 12, 2016 [15 favorites]

I love the other cat at the end with a look on its face like, "I don't understand. Is it modern?"
posted by Brachinus at 7:29 AM on February 12, 2016 [4 favorites]

I interpreted Cat #2 as asking "Whaddya want from me? He's the theremin player."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:08 AM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

Cat #2 was waiting for the Theremin solo to be over so he could get back to playing Whole Lotta Love on his Les Paul.
posted by bondcliff at 8:15 AM on February 12, 2016 [7 favorites]

Cat video reminds me of the next few seconds of this for some reason.
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:52 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

I was hoping to find second and third best [inside]!

I considered this, but to my mind the fall-off in quality is pretty steep. (Your own mileage may vary.)
posted by Going To Maine at 9:20 AM on February 12, 2016

Is that a real theremin or a Sears theremin?
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:31 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

I considered this, but to my mind the fall-off in quality is pretty steep. (Your own mileage may vary.)

As someone who has gone way down this rabbit hole before, I agree. When I clicked on this link, I was torn between hoping that it would be the exact video shared here, or a new one that was somehow, impossibly, even better.
posted by jessypie at 10:25 AM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

i knew exactly what video this was going to be before i even clicked on it, because it's the best and has been my fave youtube video for years. the second cat at the end is what really makes it

also i'm jealous that this people have cats who not only aren't scared shitless of a theremin but are willing to play with it. if i put one of these near my cat she'd run and hide and then bite me later for scaring her
posted by burgerrr at 10:33 AM on February 12, 2016

If you think about it the theremin is the perfect instrument for a cat because cats like to cause things.
posted by mudpuppie at 11:06 AM on February 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

I second the Moog idea.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 1:03 PM on February 12, 2016 [2 favorites]

I'm shocked that this isn't a double. Every time I see this video, I have to wonder to myself if the thought process is "Hey, it's the plastic cat that yowls funny when I go after its one really long whisker!"
posted by radwolf76 at 1:14 PM on February 12, 2016

I had a specific video in mind when you said "best cat theremin video" and I am pleased to see it is the same video. But then also sad because it means no one has topped this video in the many years since it first gave me joy.
posted by chrominance at 4:25 PM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Honestly, I hope this video is never topped. It is completely perfect.
posted by quartzcity at 4:46 PM on February 12, 2016 [1 favorite]