There are no rules that say a cat can’t play the drums, but these two definitely need a few more lessons before they go pro.

Twitter user @taoto0711 is a drummer. His Twitter profile bespeaks eight years of marching band, plus an eclectic lineup of favorite musicians, so this is a guy who loves to listen to and create music. There’s just one problem with being a drummer in Japan: the lack of space.

Drum kits, bulky and loud as they are, can’t justify their existence in cramped apartments or slim, thin-walled houses. Practicing your art form becomes a challenge for this reason, because how do you practice when you don’t have your instrument to hand? Some drummers suggest tapping your sticks against stacks of books or saucepans. Others have suggested arcade game DrumMania, to mixed results. The most effective method of practice is to rent a studio space, but that can get expensive…

Sometimes though, it just gets too much to practice with a simple snare pad at home, and here’s why.

▼ “This is why I never like practicing at home.”

@taoto0711 is also a big fan of cats, judging from his numerous pictures of cats he apparently owns. These two sweet marmalade cats are really testing his devotion, though, because every tap and spin of his drum sticks has both cats mesmerized – and one of them is constantly trying to grab the sticks in its paws.

While it’s certainly nice to have a captive audience, no one can blame @taoto0711 for being exasperated. How are you supposed to rock out on the drums like Yoshiki if you’re having to watch out for inquisitive cat paws?

Apparently this isn’t an isolated incident, either:

▼ “Sorry for butting in, but I totally get this too.”

https://twitter.com/nekomameayaka/status/1039372846953185286

@taoto0711 responded right away: “So cute! But practice-wise, it’s… well, you know.”

Other responses marveled at how similar the cats in the video were to their own pets.

▼ “Your cats look just like my babies! It’s kind of hard to tell in this photo though (′･ω･`)”

▼ “Random commenter here, I was so surprised to see how similar my cats are to yours. They’re brother and sister!”

And as always, we have the classic variation on a theme.

▼ “This is why I never like reading my paper at the table.”

Considering how kitties just love to disrupt artists, pass out in the most inopportune places and then hijack our clothes, we really are going to have to put our foot down if we want to practice our hobbies. Give them an inch, they’ll take a dive through a screen door, as the saying goes.

Source, featured image: Twitter/@taoto0711