Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency:  Newsflash

This is the moment a stray cat steals the show when it jumps on the keys and momentarily halts proceedings during a concert by a UK-based pianist in Turkey.

Gulsin Onay, 66, a leading Turkish concert pianist of German descent who is based in Cambridge in the UK, was performing a recital at Kalamis Ataturk Park in the north-western Turkish city of Istanbul on 5th September.

In the footage, the pianist is seen entertaining the crowd as duff notes suddenly ring out and a cat is seen standing on the keys.

While Onay recoils in fright, the cat continues hitting the keys, but its musical attempts are somewhat tuneless.

However, that doesn’t stop the crowd erupting in laughter and applauding the unexpected guest.

Meanwhile, a grinning man is seen running across stage to pick up the cat from the piano and take it away so the show can go on.

After the recital, Onay shared the video on her Instagram account with the message: “Here is the piano-lover kitty.”

She added: “One of my most colourful, most beautiful and most adventurous concerts took place at the Kalamis Summer Festival tonight. An incredible thing happened. While I was playing with my eyes closed, a little cat jumped on the keys.

“I jumped out of fear as if I had played the wrong notes, and then I saw the cat with a confused look standing on the keys. Suddenly she also jumped on the piano in fear.

“A stagehand took the little kitty away and I continued playing amid thunderous applause from the audience.”

Istanbul is dubbed the ‘Capital of the Cats’ and also ‘Catstanbul’ as the city is home to several hundred thousand stray felines.