How music for cats came about - an experiment by David Teja
Composer David Teye has been experimenting with music for a long time to find compositions that cats and kittens would enjoy, calm them down and relax. To do this, he, a man with an allergy to cat fur, went to a special anti-cafe and played his sets there specifically for pets. However, the furry inhabitants of the public place did not want to listen to the works of the famous composer.
The musician himself said that these were not his first experiments. He joked that if the cats turned away from him the first time he tried to play their favorite music, he would have abandoned his experiment.
Two compositions for cats were written by Tey back in 2008. They received a number of positive reviews from tailed pets. The research was carried out by scientists from the publication Applied Science in Animal Behavior. It was this fact that gave impetus to the musician’s great experiment.
The man abandoned his work in the main orchestra of the United States of America and since 2003 has been composing music that cats would like. According to the cellist's theory, you need to write based on deep emotions and the beating of your heart. For example, monkeys have an accelerated pulse and heart rate, so they like fast and loud music.
David's dream is to be able to work on creating special music sets that will relax or entertain animals. But first, before investors or other cash injections appear, we need to write magic rhythms for cats and dogs, since people, first of all, take care of their pets, who are always nearby.
Realizing that cats would prefer melodies that sound similar to their voices, he began conducting experiments and recording small sections of the composition using computer programs. Various tricks were used, he played chords on the violin, inserted the sound of a cat's purring, overlaid the sonorous voices of kittens, and also mixed it all into one masterpiece.
After some time, the musical opera was written. Soon he went to check on her in the same cafe, this time 6 cats immediately turned around at the sound. And one of them even came up to the pump and began to sniff it. Teyi plunged into complete peace and began to listen to the song of musical instruments performed in the “cat” language.
Due to the lack of funding, the managers found a way out to develop the project. Advertising of music for cats is carried out only on social networks, as well as through cold calls. During this time, many famous bloggers have already agreed to try the effect of music on their pets.
How do cats react to music?
Of course, any owner would like his furry friend to share his musical tastes, and even better, to react to them in such a way that he can please his friends with funny videos or make his pet an Internet star. However, much more often it turns out that cats do not like music. So what could this be connected with?
Why do cats even react to the combination of sounds that people call music? Most likely, the answer lies in the system of specific signals that these animals exchange, a kind of “cat language”.
So, back in the 30s of the last century, two doctors, Bakhrech and Morin, discovered that playing the note “E” of the fourth octave provokes bowel movements in young cats and signs of sexual arousal in adults. They also found that very high notes often caused signs of anxiety in cats. Most likely, this is due to the fact that kittens, when in trouble and experiencing fear, meow on a certain note, which automatically causes instinctive anxiety in adult animals. Sounds similar to cries of pain made by their relatives can also cause anxiety in cats. Of course, such “music” can cause nothing but rejection in cats. However, some notes in human music may remind pets of the purring and even screams that accompany estrus.
Subscribe to personalized pet care recommendations
Thanks for subscribing!
Based on these assumptions, we can conclude that cats react only to individual sounds and, most likely, they are included in the instinctive system. Therefore, one cannot assume that pets have artistic taste and are able to appreciate songs or masterpieces of classical music.
However, a group of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison conducted experiments and developed music specifically for cats, containing frequencies and rhythms similar to those in which these animals communicate. Pets, listening to compositions created especially for them, show undoubted interest in them. Such music has become so successful that its authors even started selling the compositions they created via the Internet.
No less interesting were the results of experiments conducted by veterinarians from the University of Lisbon. So, they found that certain classical works reduce stress levels in cats. Perhaps music will be used during operations and recovery of animals after serious illnesses as one of the elements of treatment.
Further development of the “Music for Cats” project
This is how the project gained popularity. Today, cat owners often post videos of their pet dancing or simply reacting to music specially recorded for the animal. The first moments while listening to music were posted by the owner of the famous online cats Marmalade and Cole. The owner of the furry pets explained that they did not have a special reaction, but interest was clearly visible on their faces.
Some people claim that music can calm their pets. Others, on the contrary, say that instrumental compositions awaken a cheerful disposition in their cats. Some owners who have tried the new sound on their cats say that these are real lullabies that help them sleep.
The compositions are collected on the website musicforcats.com, where anyone can listen to them absolutely free. Meanwhile, composer David Tahy is preparing to record a full-length album exclusively for pets.
In future prospects, creating music that dogs will like. But in this matter there are fears that pets will begin to “sing along” to the original. In this case, the neighbors will not be happy.
What kind of music do pets like?
A person likes music that falls within his acoustic and vocal range. The tempo of the music is usually close to the rhythm of the human heart. Melodies with a pitch that is too high or, conversely, low, sound unpleasant to the ear, and melodies that are too slow or fast are not perceived.
Some of the music perceived by humans is incomprehensible to animals, since they have different ranges and heart rhythms. However, animals respond to melodies that are close to their “rhythms” and hearing.
What music should I play for my cat?
A 2020 study found that classical music calms cats, but they don't respond to heavy metal and pop music.
At the beginning of the year, music streaming platform Spotify introduced the ability to create a “Pet Playlist.” The user is asked to highlight the characteristics and character traits of the pet (for example, how active or friendly it is), and then the system’s algorithm will create a playlist adapted to the pet’s individuality.
The science
Why feeding cats milk is not normal
Scientists at Louisiana State University have expanded our understanding of cats' musical preferences by studying songs that were written specifically for them. The authors measured stress readings in twenty pets who listened to a variety of music during two-week visits to the veterinarian. The best results were shown by the tracks of the “cat composer” David Teie.
What kind of music should I play for my dog?
shutterstock.com
Finding the right music for your dog is much more difficult, as breeds differ dramatically in size, perceived range and heart rate. According to animal music expert Charles Snowden, the range of perceived frequencies in large dogs (for example, Labradors) is close to that of humans. This means that large dogs are more receptive to regular music than small ones.
A 2012 study led by psychologist Deborah Wells found that dogs can differentiate between different genres of music. The animals behaved more relaxed and peaceful when listening to classical music, and more excited in response to heavy metal.
Do pets watch videos?
Gary Allman
Yes, some cats and dogs love to watch TV too. There is a whole TV channel for dogs, painted in colors that are “understandable” to their vision. Previously, we talked about how dogs perceive what is happening on the screen.
You can find specialized videos for cats on Youtube. The “furry” audience prefers to watch birds and fish.
Review of music for cats
Scientists have proven that cats love music and prefer to listen to it in their own range of tones and tempo, as they have a more subtle hearing than humans. Among the music tracks presented for cats on the Internet, there are instrumental sets using guitar, violin, and cello.
In addition, the list includes popular children's songs about the fox Alice and the cat Basilio, Bayun and others. However, experts who study the reactions of cats say that they do not understand words. It is better if they are provided with calm instrumental music to listen to, which people use to fall asleep.
Collections on well-known music sites include music of various genres and moods. There are cheerful, broken tunes, as well as serious soothing sets, sounds of nature, garden and forest, relaxing and intended for real relaxation.
How different music genres affect cats
Author Ekaterina Zhuravleva
17.06.2019 15:05
Zoosphere » Cats
Portuguese researchers set out to understand how a particular musical genre affects cats. Despite the fact that human music is inaccessible to animals as a work of art (for them it is just a heavy foreign sound), it turned out that cats react differently to different musical genres.
During operations at a veterinary clinic, scientists from the University of Lisbon let cats listen to music. Each piece of music lasted approximately two minutes and represented a new genre. The fragments changed, the cats listened, and the scientists observed the animals’ reactions. Thus, Barber's "Adagio" had a relaxing effect on the cats, Imbruglia's "Torn" had a similar but slightly weaker effect, and AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" led to a significant increase in stress levels.
What sounds do cats like?
If we go by contrast, the sounds that attract all cats are quiet and unobtrusive. In a calm and moderate environment they are absolutely comfortable. And this is not surprising. And the voice of the beloved owner, whatever it may be, is perceived as good only in its friendly manifestation. Some pets turn out to be true connoisseurs of music and enjoy listening to classical masterpieces. They especially prefer the violin, harp or guitar, which gives a relaxing effect and promotes rest. And how sweetly the tailed one sleeps under them! These are not empty phrases, but many years of experimentally confirmed data.
American researchers and felinologists even developed special cat music and released a thematic selection of CDs.
Everything, absolutely all cats love the sound of dry food pouring into a bowl – if it’s about daily needs. And if it’s romantic, then the noise of leaves on the trees and the murmur of water are pleasant to them - this is real cat pleasure!
The correct answer, apparently, is this: some cats do not show the slightest interest in it, friends do not like music categorically, and others enjoy it. In any case, the available literature on cats says nothing about this. The French writer Théophile Gautier, for example, observed that his cat always listens attentively to the singers he accompanies on the piano. However, when high notes were played, the cat showed displeasure. They probably reminded her too clearly of the sounds that her relatives make in moments of suffering. When the female singer played “A” in the upper octave, the cat jumped up and made a movement with its paw, as if trying to cover the singer’s mouth. She must have had some special associations with this note, because Gautier conducted various experiments trying to fool the cat, but she always reacted with her “critical” paw whenever this particular note was played.
An even more rabid musical “critic” was one of the cats owned by the Frenchman Pierquin de Gemblau. His animal reacted to a certain sequence of notes by falling to the floor and writhing in terrible convulsions. The second cat, also present, reacted in a completely different way: he jumped onto the instrument and listened to the same music with the greatest interest.
Composer Henri Sauguer was amazed to find his cat Cody going into ecstasy when Debussy's works were played on the piano. He rolled - with obvious pleasure - on the carpet, jumped on the piano and on the pianist's lap, and began to lick the hands that produced these magical sounds. When the pianist stopped playing, the cat jumped to the floor, but as soon as the performance resumed, the cat immediately returned and began to lick his hands again.
In the 1930s, two doctors, Morin and Bakhrech, discovered to their surprise that the note "E" in the fourth octave caused young cats to defecate and adult cats to show signs of sexual arousal. It has also been observed that extremely high notes cause anxiety in many cats.
What conclusions can be drawn from these very interesting observations? Why should cats react at all to such a complex phenomenon as human music? The answer, apparently, must be sought in the sphere of special signals, common to those found in the cat’s “language” and which are created due to a certain selection of notes or individual notes. The meow made by kittens in distress is a sound of a certain pitch, and if the musical note matches the pitch of this sound, it causes anxiety in the adult animals. This explains why Gaultier's cat tried to "shut up" the singer when she played certain notes. At that moment, the cat must have believed that the singer was a kitten in trouble, and, no doubt, tried to help to the best of her ability. For the same reason, apparently, the cat Soge believed that his owner needed help, and rushed to lick the hands from which sounds were coming out, in order to calm him down, just like a mother cat rushes to lick her kitten when she thinks that something is bothering him.
The spasms and sexual arousal of other cats is probably nothing more than an erotic reaction to sounds that resemble the screams made by their girlfriends during courtship. And the fear that occurs at very high musical notes is most likely just panic, a natural reaction to what seems to the cat to be a cry of pain.
In other words, the “musicality” of cats is another myth among many that these animals have acquired. They react - and each cat differently - only to individual sounds from many and do this in accordance with their own system of instincts. Some musical notes stimulate parental feelings, others cause sexual arousal, and others calm and give a feeling of security. Yes, cats mistakenly perceive our emotional messages, but do we, in turn, always respond adequately to their behavior?
Source: H. Nepomnyashchiy. "What's on the cat's mind?"
