Hate to break it to you, but your cat really doesn't like listening to your music. Turns out, cats prefer music that is specifically made for them. Now, thanks to musician David Teie, they have just that.
According to The New York Times, Teie, a cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra, teamed up with animal scientists to develop Music For Cats, a collection of songs that will be catnip to your meowzer's ears. What does this music sound like, exactly? "A series of whirring, lilting, and, at times, squeaky musical tracks designed for cats’ brains and ears," The Times reports, explaining that every track is feline-centric and uses sounds that resemble purring, suckling, and chirping birds.
Earlier this year, a study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science found that in order for our feline friends to actually enjoy music, it has to be species-specific. Music, after all, is intended to produce an emotional response from the listener — even if the listener is a cat.
Charles Snowdon — an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who worked on this report as well as Music For Cats with Teie — said these songs were made using "special instruments and tonal mixing" and should bridge that sensory gap between cats and humans.
The songs are meant to be soothing, mimicking what cats first hear at birth, as they match the frequency range within which felines communicate. The music should also help cats relax in stressful situations. Snowden said that young rescue cats have been the most responsive to the music, adding that the softer tracks can also be therapeutic for those cats that have been neglected or abused.
Teie and others who worked on the songs have started a Kickstarter campaign to raise $20,000, in order to produce a full album. It will include "six tracks of 10 minutes of music, interspersed with silences."
To hear Music For Cats yourself, check out the video, below.
And don't worry, Teie plans on making music for dogs. He's just concerned they'll want to sing along.
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