Everyone loves to see their pets happy, and we’ve all seen these great videos of our favorite superstar kittens playing the piano!
For people, listening to music can be a source of brain stimulation, happiness, or even just a soothing background atmosphere! So it’s understandable that we’d love to enjoy one of our favorite treats with our pets, but can cats enjoy music? And what benefit do they get by listening to it?
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Do Cats Like Music at Home?
What sounds do cats like and do they need music? Although cats like animal sound, you should not stop playing human music for them. But don’t forget that the type of music you choose for your furry friend is very important.
Dr. Susan Wagner, an expert in animal music therapy, describes in her article a study that examined the behavior of 12 cats while listening to classical, popular, and rock music. The cats responded best to classical music and then to pop music. However, the heavy metal they listened to made them more anxious, as it increased their heart rate and pupil size.
Do cats like silence or music?
Many indoor cats (especially older cats) prefer silence over music. But many of them really like calming music, especially classical music. It depends on the nature of our feline friends.
What do cats think when they hear music?
Cats hear music differently than humans. The vocal, acoustic, heartbeat range and hearing range of kittens are different from ours. As a result, they recognize human music differently. However, studies show that our beloved pets respond to different types of music in different ways.
Do cats enjoy loud music?
Cats dislike loud noises. Cats should never hear music that is excessively loud. Keep the noise down since they have considerably more acute hearing than people do. Your cat is not a lover of techno, trash, or heavy metal, so aggressive noises, repetitive staccato rhythms, and harsh chords don’t sound natural to them.
How do I know if my cat likes music?
When cats hear music at a feline-appropriate tone, pitch, and tempo appropriate for cats, they show signals of delight, such as rubbing against the speakers and purring! Kitties do this to spread their scent, and it usually indicates that they like something.
On the contrary, sometimes cats may react to your favorite human songs with complete indifference. But no one argues with the fact that our feline friends love to listen to music.
What Kind of Music Do Cats Like?
Cats hear and respond to music differently than humans do because they have distinct vocal, acoustic, and cardiac ranges.
The secret to getting your dogs to listen to music, according to psychologists at the University of Wisconsin, is to play the music that mirrors the way they communicate. This is comparable to how your cat does not comprehend human speech and how humans do not understand cats’ meowing.
In this study, the researchers substituted a purring cadence, which cats are more accustomed to, for the standard drumbeat in human music (which typically mirrors our heartbeat). 47 domestic cats were exposed to the songs, and researchers carefully observed how they responded to the varied musical styles.
The furry friends approached the speakers and rubbed their smell on them, showing that they wanted to claim the object, indicating that they responded better to classical music with tempos that kitties can perceive. This is a strong hint that may show cats attempting to use their body language to communicate with the music they enjoy.
The researchers argued that pets responded worse to typical human music, such as the one you hear on the radio. However, as soon as the cat specific music began to play, they began to show interest.
What kind of music calms cats?
Cats are calmed by species-specific music – quiet classical instrumental music, without the use of percussion, without loud sounds, as well as music created specifically for animals (cat music).
Feline-Composed Music
Some pet shelters play music created for pets to keep them quiet and comfortable since it is thought that cat-based music has therapeutic effects for our feline pals.
It is preferable to avoid playing human music and instead play cat-friendly music instead, as cats are more likely to understand and even like it.
Here is a great example of David Teie’s cat-friendly Album
David Teie is a talented cellist who has collaborated with artists such as Metallica and the National Symphony Orchestra. He creates music with a tempo reminiscent of purring, birds chirping, etc.
He refers to his music as “species-appropriate music” and is entitled “Music for Cats“.
To explore and test his opinion that cats, especially young ones and kittens, prefer quick relaxation in the first place, he gave the researchers access to his music. Some of his tracks have bird chirps, whirring noises, and ecstatic tones that may energize even the most lazily inclined feline. A soundtrack like this might not appear very sophisticated to a human ear, but animals allegedly can tell the difference.
Before creating music for cats, Teie collaborated with scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to investigate how cats’ hearing varies from ours and why that matters. Cats “showed a significant preference for and in a 2015 independent study with the university,” according to the findings.
Soft Classical Music
Cats tend to be calmed by the peaceful tones of classical pieces, which they accept. The cats’ rapid breathing and heartbeat have been seen to settle down, creating a hypnotic, drowsy effect.
Studies have indicated that the neurological system in animals that regulates our cardiovascular function is influenced by music. The same is true for cats; in some cases, the music we listen to may even have an impact on our blood pressure and respiration.
Curating a Cat Music Playlist
If you want to create a special playlist for your furry pal, I recommend that you focus on special cat-appropriate music first (like Cozmo’s Air by David Teie). You can also add classical instrumental pieces by composers such as Debussy, Vivaldi, and Mozart. An excellent option would be compositions with the sounds of nature. If you don’t like classical compositions, check out modern instrumental compositions of a calm nature. And if you play the piano, be sure to try to play some melodic, not fast pieces for your cat.
What Human Music Should You Not Play Near Cats?
I’m sure both the younger and older cats enjoy music. But all cat lovers should know that not all music is worth listening to with our pets. You should not listen next to a cat loud metal music, hard rock, or music with strong bass. Even if you’re a big fan of an old Led Zeppelin record, your cat may not like it at all. Usually, cats reacted negatively to too loud and heavy modern music.
Pay attention to your cat’s behavior when playing music. If your cat shows anxiety, becoming more nervous and unhappy, he may not like this music or it is playing too loudly.
If you’d like to learn more about our furry friends, check out our Behavior section. There you will find a lot of interesting and useful information.
Final Thoughts
Here we come to the end of our article about our furry friends and how much they like music. Cats are very sensitive creatures. And each of them has its own unique character and personality. Usually, cats like music, especially “cat music”. This is special composing music written in the same frequency range and with similar tempos as in the natural communication of animals with each other.
Thanks to numerous studies, we have scientific evidence that the right music is good for our pets. Music gives them providing mental stimulation and reducing stress.
How does your cat feel about music? What songs does he like to listen to? Share your experience in the comments.
Hello! My name is Julia and I am a true cat lover!
From early childhood, cats have always been a part of my life and members of my family. I can’t imagine my life without cats! And now I am a happy owner of three wonderful cats. On my website, I will share my experience of life with cats. Here you will find articles about cat behavior, care, and reviews of the best gadgets and furniture for cats. I hope my site will be useful to you!