Ginger Cat Hilariously Steals The Spotlight In Live Ballet Performance Of Romeo & Juliet

By Sheri Radford
Ginger cat with eyes closed lying in the grass Ensar Karabudak/Getty Images

If there's one thing every cat owner knows, it's that cats like to be wherever the action is, whether that means working on a sewing project, wrapping a birthday present, or taking center stage in a production of one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies. In a hilarious video shared on X by Reuters, a ginger cat decided to be the star of a ballet in Turkey. 

The video, which has been viewed more than 1.5 million times and whose footage appears to come from Instagram user Tanya Borger, is captioned, "A cat took to the stage during the final scene of a Romeo and Juliet ballet performance by the Imperial Russian Ballet Company in İzmir." In the emotional scene, a distraught Juliet sobbed over Romeo's corpse. The rascally little ginger cat repeatedly attacked Romeo's hair, then nonchalantly leapt up onto a table.

"Kinda reduces the impact of that final scene. Props to the actors for staying in character, though," wrote one viewer, and another commented, "Seriously the most perfect example of cat behavior. 'Oh, you're dead? Ima just smack your head a bit then jump on this bench with indifference.'"

Is there such a thing as a ginger cat personality?

Ginger cat taking part in a scene from Romeo and Juliet Reuters/X

Viewers of the video weren't at all surprised that the scene-stealing cat was a ginger. "A ginger of course," one netizen stated, while another observed, "Peak orange cat behaviour." But is there truly a distinct orange cat personality? Anecdotes abound about how friendly and mischievous ginger cats can be, but orange felines aren't actually a specific breed. Maine coons, Persians, Abyssinians, British shorthairs, and many other types of cats can be ginger in color. Due to a quirk of genetics, about 80% of orange tabby cats are male, which means gender may at least partially explain why most gingers seem to be larger and more gregarious than other cats.

The video's viewers felt inspired by the feisty feline thespian to pull out their best cat jokes and puns. One person asked, "Was he a Montague or Cat-pulet?" and another commented, "O Romeow, Romeow, wherefore art thou Romeow?" One netizen channeled the cat's thoughts perfectly, writing, "Wherefore art my dinner, Romeo?"

Want to see more videos that are peak orange cat? Check out this adorable ginger kitten who figures out how to drink from a straw, and this rambunctious ginger cat who is an expert at "purrkour."

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