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Does your cat like to listen to music with you? Some pets do, but it’s more often the case that they seem simply to tolerate our tunes. Or not, if you have a cat that leaves the room when you put on your favorite song. Why don’t our furry friends enjoy music as much as most of us do? David Teie, a cellist, composer, and researcher, wondered if other animals would like music that was composed with their audio processing in mind. He partnered with Dr. Charles T. Snowdon at the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to test out his theory of species-specific music [1].
Teie and Snowdon aimed to compose music that would elicit positive emotions in cats, target frequency ranges suitable for feline ears, and make use of sounds natural to cat communication. Teie composed two songs for the study. They had an average pitch of 1.34 kHz, significantly higher than is typical of human music. Sounds within the cat vocal range of 55-200 Hz were a focal point, but frequencies related to howls and frustrated vocalizations were excluded. A large percentage of melodic sliding frequencies were included in the compositions, as cats use a lot of sliding frequencies in their vocalizations. One of the songs, “Cozmo’s Air,” was given a tempo of 1,380 bpm to resemble purring. “Rusty’s Ballad” had a tempo of 250 bpm, reminiscent of the suckling of kittens. To hear a sampling of Teie’s compositions for cats, play the video below.
The researchers paired each of Teie’s species-specific songs with a classical song chosen for its pleasing qualities for human listeners. 47 housecats were played 3 minutes of all four songs with a 3 minute rest period in between. Their behaviors during the music were observed and scored for “orient/approach” or “avoidant/fearful” actions. The time between the beginning of the song and onset of any resulting behavior, termed “latency,” was also measured. Very few fearful behaviors were seen, and there was no difference between cat or human music in the rate thereof. However, significantly more approach behaviors, such as purring or rubbing against the speakers, were observed while playing the cat music. There was also a significantly shorter latency period before the cats began to react, suggesting that the music geared for their ears caught their attention faster.
This research has a lot of possible applications. Teie and Snowdon suggest it may be used for calming cats with separation anxiety while their owners are away or for helping shelter cats to feel less stress. A study at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine using Teie’s cat-specific music found that it reduced stress during veterinary exams [2]. Personally, I listen to music just because it makes me happy. If this species-specific music brings cats joy, I say that is an end unto itself.
Teie has since composed even more songs for cats. You can sample them for yourself–and your cat–at https://www.musicforcats.com/. He has CDs and digital downloads for sale, should your cat respond well and you’d like to buy full tracks to play for them.
Works Cited
- Snowdon, C.T., Teie, D., & Savage, M. (2015). Cats Prefer Species-Appropriate Music. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 166, 106-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2015.02.012
- Hampton, A., et al. (2019). Effects of music on behavior and physiological stress response of domestic cats in a veterinary clinic. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 22(2), 122-128. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X19828131
Published January 6th, 2019
Updated May 12th, 2023
