Knowing if cats like music is a frequently repeated question among feline lovers and, thanks to numerous studies and scientific experiments, we can answer clearly: catsenjoy listening to certain types of music
Now, how can we really know? What kind of music do they prefer? Which ones do you dislike? In this article on our site we will explain why cats like music, based on scientific studies and what music we can use for cats to relax and enjoy of a moment of well-being.
How do cats hear?
Cats discover the environment through smell, therefore they prefer odorous signals However, they also use sound language to interact. In fact, they use up to 12 different sounds. It is not new that cats have a ear more developed than ours. Not only physically, but in the sense of hearing, detecting sounds that many times we will never perceive.
His universe ranges from a soft childish purr to the growls or snorts of adults in a conflict. Each of them is contemplated according to duration and frequency, which would be the intensity of the sound in its measure, through hertz. We are going to get a little more scientific to explain this, since it will be very useful for us when it comes to understanding the reactions of our cats and determining if cats like music.
The hertz or hertz (the latter in honor of the person who discovered it) is the unit of frequency of a vibratory movement, which in this case it's about the sound. Here is a brief summary of the ranges that we can hear the different species:
- Wax Moth: (highest hearing quality), up to 300 kHz.
- Dolphins: from 20 Hz to 150 kHz (seven times higher than humans).
- Bats: from 50 Hz to 20 kHz.
- Dogs: from 10,000 to 50,000 Hz (four times more than us).
- Cats: from 30 to 65,000 Hz. (explains a lot doesn't it?).
- Humans: between 20 Hz (lowest) to 20,000 Hz (highest).
Cats' sense of hearing and vocalizations
To find out what kind of music cats like, we must delve deeper into the sense of hearing in cats. The high-pitched sounds (close to 65,000 Hz) correspond to calls from puppies to their mothers or other siblings and the low-pitched sounds(those with lower Hz) usually correspond to adult cats in an alert or threatening state, so they can cause concern to those who hear them.
We should know that the cat's meow (to the astonishment of many readers) is not part of the cat's communication repertoire with other members of its species, it is just a sound they use when communicating with U. S. The cat's meow appears thanks to the cat taming
These sounds are short vocalizations of 0.5 to 0.7 seconds, and can reach 3 or 6 seconds, depending on the need to be attended by their mother. Within the age of 4 weeks of life, in cases of cold or danger, we will have the " child vocalizations". Then they will stop and the " vocalizations of loneliness" may appear, which are usually long lasting, as if it were a sustained tone.
The cat's purr is usually the same at all stages, does not change, unlike infant calls, which disappear over the month of the kitten's life to give way to the meow. But these would be the forms of communication that our felines have depending on the situation, but we also have the snorts or growls, which are more serious tones, through which indicate a threat or that they feel cornered.
It is important to learn to interpret the sounds of our felines in order to understand, in their feline language, what they want to convey to us and, in this way, get to know them better every day.
Music for cats
Music for cats must be adapted to the species, taking into account their hearing and vocalization. These sounds, which have been studied specifically for them, constitute a form of auditory enrichment and have proven to be very successful. Of course, it should always be soft, we will never exceed the volume.
In fact, in the field of music therapy for cats, we find certain classical music artists, such as Félix Pando, who offer music for cats to help them sleep and relax. He has produced adaptations of melodies from Mozart and Beethovenunder the title "Classical Music for Cats and Dogs" which can be downloaded from the Internet, as well as many other titles. We just have to find what makes us happiest to hear and our pet's reaction.
In conclusion: cats like music and the ideal is to offer content that has been created with the needs of the species in mind, according to scientific studies. However, and in general, we observe that cats are more attracted to classical music.
We leave you with a video from our YouTube channel with music to relax cats: