Cats seem to always keep their owners guessing. They can be graceful yet unpredictable. Affectionate, yet aloof. And can quickly go from being sleepy to having sudden bursts of energy. Another way they keep us guessing is their response to music.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that the answer to “do cats like music?” isn’t a simple yes or no. Let’s look at some interesting insights into how cats respond to sound.
The Human-Centric Nature of Music
It’s important to remember music is a human invention for the pleasure of other humans. A part of the reason we enjoy it so much is that it matches our vocal ranges, our heartbeats and can elicit emotional triggers.
The tempo of music is almost always in our heartbeat range, we have melodic patterns suited to our vocal pitch, and rhythms that align with our natural movements. Even if they did love music, they wouldn’t respond to our music in the same way.
Cats have their own sensory preferences with different frequency ranges, heart rates, and emotional rhythms. The music that most connects with humans is because it comes from human emotion.
Scientific Research into Cat Music
Research has been done into whether or not cats like music. A fascinating study in 2015 was conducted which showed that while cats don’t respond emotionally to human music, they can respond to music made specifically for them.
With music matching the tempo of cat behaviors such as purring and suckling, the cats were compared in a controlled environment. When faced with classical music or cat music, they prefer the latter. Behaviors observed included rubbing up against speakers, being more alert, and purring.
It wasn’t a huge sample size, but the results were clear. It also backed up similar study they did six years previously on a monkey. Cats have little interest in our music but can respond to species-specific music.
What Does Cat-Specific Music Sound Like?
Cat-specific music needs to be in a higher pitch than most human music. This aligns more closely with their vocal range. It’s also made to be in a tempo of rhythm that will resemble feline body functions.
There is plenty of this music out there and if you do have a cat, it’s worth finding some and seeing how they respond. Some music can be calming for them, whereas other sounds can encourage curious exploration.
Why Cats Respond to Human Music
There is no clear evidence cats enjoy human music, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to show they respond positively to it. There have also been studies to show that a cat can be less stressed if they listen to classical music.
What makes this difficult to judge is the nature of cats. Despite being seen by some as aloof creatures, they are extremely sensitive to the emotional atmosphere. Cat can sense human emotions in the same way we do, such as through facial expressions, tone of voice, posture, and energy levels.
Cats can sense when we are sad, and when we are happy. If a cat is more relaxed when classical music is playing before surgery, that could just be because the music is actually calming down the humans around them.
If your cat “enjoys” a certain type of music, it could just be enjoying your response to it. They can mirror your mood and can even associate certain songs with particular emotions. This can make it seem like cats are enjoying the music but are instead simply happy and content in their environment. A subtle difference.
The Role of Hearing in Music Preferences
Cats can hear both further and better than humans. While humans slightly beat cats on being able to hear low frequencies, cats are much better at higher frequencies. Most humans are into the 20 Hz to 20 kHz range, whereas cats go from 48 Hz to 85 kHz.
This means they are more likely to enjoy higher pitched noise but only to a point. Being more sensitive, if the high-pitched sound is jarring, they may seem put off. As with all sounds, this sound that is undetectable to us could be either pleasant or annoying to a cat.
With their superior hearing, music that is too loud can also make them feel anxious or unsafe. They may also dislike music that is particularly jumpy or alarming. Soft music has been generally shown to have a better response to cats.
Music and Cat Personalities
Writing generic information about cats can be tricky, as they are deeply personal creatures. They all have unique personalities akin to humans. This is why you can’t have just one rule on whether or not cats like music.
Added to that, they are also emotionally complex. One cat may be joyous to see you in a good mood, whereas it may chill out another cat. Shy or nervous cats are more likely to want silence compared to those with bold personalities.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that cats can have a response to music or certain instruments. What will never be truly understood is why they have a response. It could be enjoyment but is more likely to be curiosity or an emotional link to their owner.
Practical Tips for Playing Music for Your Cat
The first tip is to not force it. If your cat enjoys music, then great. If your cat becomes agitated instead, be cautious. You can try them with a few different types but if they don’t enjoy it, then it’s best to leave them alone.
You should either start with soft, melodic music or jump straight into some cat music. You want to avoid anything with loud beats or music that has sudden changes in volume. You also want to keep the general volume low as they are more sensitive than humans.
Good signs are them being playful and staying near the speaker. But you’ll know your cat better than anyone. Look for changes in behavior and if they are positive, keep the music coming.
