Your Cat’s Favourite Band: Getting Down With Species Appropriate Music
If you are a cat guardian, you may have, when leaving the house for an extended period of time, left a radio station playing for your cat. The idea behind it is simple: your cat may feel less lonely, or be happier in your absence, if there is music playing or they hear human voices. Many of us have done this out of intuition – we think that this is what cats like, and we assume this noise will have a positive effect.
However, research is challenging these assumptions and revealing some interesting things about cats’ musical tastes. This paper from Applied Animal Behaviour Science looked at the possibility of crafting “species-appropriate” music for cats, controlling it against regular “human” music. It should be noted that this is not the first time that people have studied musical or auditory preferences in species. For example, natural sounds played to gorillas in captivity have had mixed effects, classical music has been shown to calm shelter dogs, and music is proven to reduce stereotypic behavior in captive elephants. The results of these studies have been generally inconclusive, but the question remains compelling.
To better understand the sound preferences of cats, researchers tested 47 domestic cats in the comfort of their own homes, with their human companions present. The cats represented a wide range of mixed and pure breeds, with a fairly even mix of males and females, all spayed or neutered. The cats were played two specially-crafted 3 minute compositions – “Cozmo’s Air” and “Rusty’s Ballad” – designed to promote “an affiliative effect” on cats. The compositions themselves are generally higher in frequency and with a pulse rate more natural to cat bodily rhythms – one related to suckling and the other linked to purring. These were played to cats along with a “human music” control, and various observations were made regarding the cats’ moods and demeanor. The assumption behind the research was that “the same [musical] features that are effective in inducing and communicating emotional states in human music might also apply to other species.” However, the authors note that because each species has a different way of communicating and different hearing ability, “music will only be effective if it is appropriate for the sensory and communication systems of the species under study.”
The researchers found that “domestic cats are more interested in and responsive to music that was composed with species-appropriate features relevant to cats.” By comparing and contrasting their results with other research, they conclude that “for auditory enrichment to be effective, the enrichment must contain features that are perceptible to the species that are the target of enrichment.” Music should be crafted with species and enrichment results in mind: if you want to promote relaxation, the music should be crafted to contain elements which are relaxing to that species. “It is not sufficient to simply turn on a radio or play some classical music in a laboratory or shelter and assume that acoustic enrichment needs are being met,” they say. “Auditory enrichment must be appropriate for the species and for the goals of enrichment.”
Of course, this study has implications for nonhuman animals beyond the feline species. There are countless animals kept in captivity in zoos, research labs, and on farms, who could benefit from species-appropriate environmental enrichment. Animals in sanctuaries, shelters, and rescues could also benefit from these improvements to their surroundings. What this study shows to animal advocates is that there is a whole species-specific world out there, ready to be explored. Our nonhuman friends need us to pay attention to what they actually want (versus what we think they want) to help them live the most enriched lives possible. As animal advocates, we need to do our best to listen.