If your cat is especially skittish or could use some calming in certain situations–like going to the veterinarian, playing calming music for cats might be just the answer to all of your cat anxiety problems.
Cat Calming Music is a Real Thing
Does music calm cats? Lousiana State University researchers have recently discovered that when you play music that’s been specially made just for cats, it can help the cats calm down.
Past researchers determined that cats prefer classical music over heavy metal or pop (gee, imagine that), but now researchers know that specially designed cat calming music has an even greater calming effect on cats.
And what cat calming music is best, you might ask? The music used for the study was Scooter Bere’s Aria, which was performed, produced and composed by David Teie, and is sold by Universal Records UK. The song comes from an album titled Music for Cats.
You can listen to it here:
Music Based on Cat’s Emotional Centers in Cat Brains Shortly After Birth
“The thought and musical design behind composing cat-specific music was based on the idea that the development of the emotional centers in the brain of the cat occur shortly after birth, during the nursing stage,” said the study.
“Because purring and suckling sounds are common in this developmental stage, these sounds are layered into tempos and frequencies used in feline vocalization to create cat-specific music.”
The main objective of the study was to find out if feline-specific music, when played in a veterinarian setting, would help lower overall stress for the cat.
The study exposed cats to one of three audio texts that included classical music, silence, and cat-specific music.
Related: Father Cat Supports Mother Cat While She Gives Birth to His Kittens
Cats Were Scored Before and After Listening to Special Cat Calming Music
They recorded cat stress scores (CSSs), handling scale scores (HSs) and neutrophil: lymphocyte ratios (NLRs) during the tests, which mimic tests commonly used during physical examinations in a veterinarian office.
The results of the study showed that HSs and CSSs scores were significantly lower in cats who listened to specific cat music vs classical music or silence when compared to tests administered before the cats listened to the various sounds.
There were no significant changes in the NLRs, which helps to assess physiological stress.
“We conclude that cat-specific music may benefit cats by decreasing the stress levels and increasing the quality of care in veterinary clinical settings,” wrote the researchers in the study.
