A black cat named Choco has become an internet sensation after Japanese pianist Yuriko Morota filmed the discerning feline’s response to a recording of the Adagio from Mahler’s Ninth Symphony.

“His movements were so extraordinary that using my smartphone, I immediately began to video-record him,” Yuriko said, in a report by Ireland’s Independent. “His movements were so mysterious and interesting that my husband and I couldn’t help laughing aloud.”

The video of Choco transfixed by Mahler’s music, which Morota posted on Twitter, has been viewed more than two million times. “He was a stray that came to live with us two and a half months after he was born in a neighbour’s yard. He’s now one year old,” Morota said. “He’s a so-called ‘scaredy-cat’, very timid and easily frightened and very spoiled.”

Choco’s antics have also inspired a series of artworks, tributes from fans across the world.