Snowdon CT, Teie D, Savage M. Cats prefer species-appropriate music. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2015;166(0):106-11.
The effects of certain types of music composed for humans on animals and plants have been documented, but sometimes with conflicting outcomes, in various studies over the last several decades. Some cats have been observed to appear to enjoy music composed for humans, and videos of cats who play piano by striking the keys with their paws have gone viral on the Internet. Having completed a previous controlled study of species-specific music on cotton-topped tamarin monkeys, these researchers hypothesized that music composed with a pitch and tempo used for natural communication by cats would be more appealing to cats than music composed for humans. Feline vocalizations are an octave higher than those of humans, and music in this frequency range with the tempo of purring or that associated with the suckling sound made when kittens nurse was composed especially for the subjects of this study.
The study was conducted in the homes of 47 cats, 27 males and 20 females. Four pieces of music, interspersed with periods of silence, were played for the cats: two composed for humans, the “Air on the G String” (BWV 1068;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMkmQlfOJDk) by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Gabriel Fauré’s “Elegie” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhTqkl_RjTs), and two created by composer David Teie for cats (www.musicforcats.com). Observations were made of the cat’s behavior while listening to the selections. Responses evaluated as positive included purring, walking toward the speaker, and rubbing the speaker, while responses considered negative included hissing, arching the back, and piloerection. The cat-specific music evoked significantly more and faster (median 110 seconds for the cat-specific music versus 171 seconds for the human music) positive responses from the cats than the two selections of human music. Younger and older cats were more responsive to the cat-specific music than middle-aged cats. Species-specific music, composed with features that are perceptible and resonant with the biological rhythms and auditory/vocal characteristics of the target species, is likely to be the most appropriate and effective way to provide auditory enrichment for animals. [PJS]
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
