Do cats like music?
Personally, I have never seen any indication from my cats that they like music but perhaps this is because I play human music (rarely). I’ll admit to being sceptical. I don’t believe cats do like music despite the plethora of cat music products available. I’ve never bought cat music because I don’t believe in it. There are lots of cat products, a lot of which are pretty useless. They are made for cat owners looking for ways to please their cat. Manufacturers tap into that sentiment.
I searched the excellent cat behavior books that I have on Kindle for a reference to ‘music’ and there were no search results. The experts have seen no reason to remark or comment on whether cats like music which tells me that it is an irrelevancy to these authors with regard to cat behaviour and emotions.
This is not to say that cats are not incredibly sensitive to sounds of all kinds and will respond to music if so inclined. Taking a common sense view the only way we can even get an impression that cats like music is through their reaction to it. If there is a reaction does this tell us that they like it? We can’t be sure.
There is a report of a study on the pbs.org website concerning cat music. The study tested 47 cats and found a “significant preference for and interest in”…cat appropriate music. That’s not a fantastically convincing conclusion. From what I can guess (I have not read the study) the study findings are open ended. It is inconclusive and therefore somewhat of a waste of time. If cats genuinely liked ‘cat music’ they’d demonstrate clearer signs.
I’d like someone to tell me I am wrong but you’ll have to give me chapter verse on the subject to convince me that cats like music and that it does them good.
Sorry that this is so short and negative. I was hoping for something more positive myself.
Michael
I think I have a good sense of this. First of all, music is a creation by humans. It appeals to our sense of rhythm and the messages we send and receive with it. Much of our perception and enjoyment in life can and is accompanied with music. It “means” much more to us than it could to any other being, even sentient. BUT, I think cats do enjoy it. It’s a matter of degree, and they are (in my observation) passive about it, save for my Pete’s delight in plucking my guitar strings. I’ve seen that they enjoy it when we do, and hence attach an enjoyment prompted by ours’. They learn to truly enjoy what we do. But again, I think they are very passive, which may just be the observant/audience pleasure we also partake in. Dancing, I don’t know about that, but maybe. Bottom line from me is: when I play soothing music and see my cats settle down with unmistakable contentment, I think they aren’t just tolerating it but indeed enjoying it.
Overall, I don’t think that cats really enjoy music. My cats treat it like just another noise to tolerate like the television or vacuum. There have been rare occasions when some song may have a bird sound and that would draw the attention of a cat or two. But, the music itself gets no notice.
It’s hard to tell if my singing is enjoyable for them. I tend to think that it’s just my voice that draws them. They pay close attention when I sing and dance around. I can only guess what they may think of that. LOL!
I am of your opinion. Music is a form of noise to a cat. It is not music as we understand it.
Sorry Michael. Kitten would dance around my feet with her tail up and vibrating at the end when I played Billy Idol. She also loved it when I sang Tura Lura Lura to her.
Cats seem to be a great deal like humans no two are exactly alike. As always their intelligence is underrated.
We also are dealing with early stimulation in loving homes vs. cats that have not had early childhood stimulation. We see the same deficiencies in human children who don’t receive sufficient stimulation as infants.
They also respond quite differently to live music via guitar and violin, piano because of the vibrations.
Cats are the ultimate hedonists it’s silly to think they wouldn’t enjoy music.