What music do cats like? A moaning or wailing just above an empty cat bowl, those strange noises during oestrus or just meowing because of the owner’s insufficient attention?
Apparently, it turns out that cat music means one more thing: real music that your cat will adore from the first note. Research on what exactly music is for a cat is quite complicated because it requires a reliable sample of respondents. Meanwhile, as you probably know, every cat likes to walk its own paths and doesn’t like doing something of not their choice. Click here if you want to find out more about the most common cat habits. However, checking the effect of music on cats does not have to be difficult and can be successful even at home.
As it turns out, music has a beneficial effect not only on the human mood but also on the mood and behaviour of your cat. What matters is not the volume of the song being played, but above all – the music genre that you serve to your cat at the musical feast. Which songs and genres do cats like, and which sounds are real torture and may cause anxiety?
Music for the cat, or what?
One of the researchers at the University of Lisbon, Miguel Carreira conducted an unusual experiment on twelve cats. The experiment aimed to find the preferred music genre that has the best effect on the body and mood of the cats. Carreira, exposed cats to different kinds of music: from classical genre (“Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber) pop (“Torn” by Natalia Imbruglia) to heavy metal sounds (AC / DC “Thunderstruck”). During each song, the researcher closely watched and monitored the external and internal signs of behaviour and the overall mood of the cats. He paid attention to the heart rate and the cat’s body language: anxiety or relaxed posture.
What conclusions did he come to?
What sounds do cats like?
Relaxing music for a cat is the one closest to the classical genre. Only while listening to classical music cats showed a high degree of relaxation and composure. They were relaxed and their heart rate was a stable value. Which song was no good for them? It is probably not a big surprise that the most aggressive music: for example the song of the AC / DC band. It caused anxiety in the cats, accelerated the pulse and made their eyes wide. Meanwhile, Natalia Imbruglia’s pop song turned out to be completely indifferent to the ears and musical taste of the cats under the study.
What kind of classical tracks do cats enjoy?
This experiment highlighted several important issues that you can use every day to improve your pet’s well-being. First, cats, although they hear differently from people, also react to the sounds that surround us, including (but not limited to) music. So, if you have ignored your cat’s musical taste so far, it is worth changing your habits and from time to time offering something that will please them and relax them. They’re more likely to relax while listening to Bach, Handel or Mozart. You can treat it as an interesting reminder for yourself.
Why don’t you give it a try?
“Cat music” is not just Mozart – what else cats enjoy listening to?
Music for cats, to the contrary, is not only the most popular classical songs. Cat music is also a separate genre of “music” that was developed by scientists, intended for our furry friends. What are its sounds and why are they so pleasant to your pet? Charles Snowdon, Psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and music composer, David Teie from the University of Maryland have jointly developed a collection of sounds that act on cats just like your favourite piece of music works on you.
After numerous observations and tests, they came to the conclusion that due to the fact that cats hear completely different than human beings and due to the fact that their heartbeat is different -faster than the human heart rhythm – they needed to create music that is significantly different from the one we know. Music has to adapt to our current mood, the sharpness of senses and – the heartbeat.
As it turned out, it’s no different from the cats. Snowdon and Teie composed the most soothing sounds for cats and it’s called “Cozmo’s Air“.
What notes does it consist of? Mainly the sounds that refer to the sound of a cat purring. The beat of this song is 1380 beats per minute.
Scientists have created another song, “Rusty’s Ballad”, which consists of sounds that mimic the sounds of kittens sucking mother’s milk, and its rhythm is 250 beats per minute. Snowdon and Teie decided to test their work to the audience of 47 cats of both sexes. They also exposed them to classical music by Bach and Faury. What was the effect? The cats were much calmer and relaxed with “Rusty’s Ballad”. Some of them brushed against the speaker, which clearly indicates it was soothing.
So…who picks the music at home?
What are the conclusions? Classical music is much more pleasant for cats than the sounds of metal, hip-hop or neutral pop. More harmonious and subdued sounds have a soothing effect not only on human nature but also on cats. However, real cat-music breaks popularity records among this genre.
The sounds of purring and sucking mother’s milk sound like a return to their true nature, the innate harmony, which turns out to be as important for cats as it is for humans. How music affects your pet? Cats may seem indifferent to the songs you listen to at home, but remember that despite the invisible reaction, they can hear and feel everything. If you are a fan of heavier sounds, remember that your cat prefers more subdued and natural sounds. Try to find a compromise, like these instrumental beats for example, and determine the time of day when you and your cat can both relax with your favourite music.
