Should I leave the radio on for my cat?

The question is asking whether it is beneficial to a cat when they are left alone all day to leave on a radio to produce some background sounds. Having spent 25 minutes researching this, I cannot find any solid information which confirms that it is beneficial except for cat music. There are two sorts of sounds that the radio can produce (1) the spoken word and (2) music. As for the latter, it is said that domestic cats don’t really appreciate human music so you will have to ensure that the radio plays cat music which may help. I don’t think there is any certainty that it will by the way.

Cat listens to radio
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Photo: ROWENA NAYLOR.

As to the spoken word, it is certain that a domestic cat will be reassured by words said by their human guardian provided the relationship is good. Domestic cats like to hear the sound of their human companion but of course talk radio churns out the sounds of other people and therefore it is unlikely that talk radio throughout the day is beneficial to a cat at home alone.

Bruce Fogle writes that feral cats can be calmed down by a radio tuned into a talk-show. But what he is saying is that this helps to accustom the feral cat to human interactions so the objective is different. This is about socialisation. It is not really relevant.

It seems that using the television or radio to help calm down a cat or dog is quite popular. I just wish there was more tangible evidence to support the efficacy of it. There appears to be only one reasonable certainty which is that music specifically designed for cats can reduce stress1 so I would focus on that if you want to leave some background sounds in the home while you’re gone.

Useful links
Anxiety - reduce it
FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages
Children and cats - important

Sorry that this article is a bit thin but I am feeling unwell today.

1. Louisiana State University (LSU), USA research published in the March 2020 issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS).

Some articles on cat music

How do cats react to music?

How do cats react to music?

We remain unsure about domestic cats' reaction to music. More than 30 years ago, the great Dr. Desmond Morris said ...
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Nora the Piano Cat plays in a concerto composed by Lithuanian composer, Mindaugas Piečaitis

Nora the Piano Cat in CATcerto by Mindaugas Piečaitis

This is the video of the original performance of Lithuanian composer, Mindaugas Piečaitis' composition titled "CATcerto". He used the YouTube ...
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Cat loves woman caretaker's voice

Do cats like singing?

Do cats like it when their human guardian sings? There's a video on the newsflare.com website called: Connecticut cat has ...
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Stressed cat at vet's clinic

Veterinary clinics should have custom-made cat and dog music playing in the background

I'll focus on cats. Custom-made calming cat music played in veterinary clinics before and during their interaction with the veterinarian ...
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Animals' reaction to music will make you smile

Animals’ reaction to music will make you smile

A video showing that animals react positively to music (normally!). We need to learn more ...
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Cat music

Do cats respond to music?

Do cats respond to music? The question should be rephrased, 'Do cats respond favourably to music?'. Some human music played ...
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Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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