Did you know when it comes to music and cats, especially classical music, it can be a great stress reliever for our feline friends?
An article in the February 2019 Catnip newsletter cites the results of a study conducted by the University of Portugal. Cats that were about to have surgery had headphones placed on their ears. Playing classical music helped reduce their heart rate and the diameter of their pupils. These are both signs the music helped ease their stress.
Different types of music produced different results: Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings had the soothing effects noted above, while AC/DC’s Thunderstruck led to increased heart rate and pupil size.
It’s important to note that not ALL classical music eases cat’s anxiety. If the music has periods of loudness (such as Haydn’s Surprise Symphony), it is not soothing for cats.
The most soothing music for cats seems to be harp music. Not only does it seem to calm cat’s anxiety, but also aids in healing sick animals.
Since many homeless pets become very stressed in a shelter environment, a number shelters and rescues have installed sound systems to broadcast soothing music for the animals to ease their anxiety.
Cats have varying musical tastes, so try various music to see what your cat prefers. Usually, if he likes the music, he’ll stay in the room and you’ll notice him relaxing. If it’s not to his liking, or is too loud, he will very possibly leave and room.
Check out Relax My Cat on YouTube or Amazon’s Music My Pet’s Classic Cuts
Have you noticed a connection between music and cats? Noticed your cat relaxing with certain music? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Please leave a comment and let us know what music has worked well to reduce your cat’s anxiety, we’ll share with our community!
Written by Karen
