Do your pets like music?

DriveYourCarDownToTheSea · 03-10-2014, 02:45 PM

Since I listen to a lot of music, my cat gets to listen to a lot of it as well. I've noticed she really seems to like much (but not all) of what I play. Sometimes when I play music on my computer she'll get up in front of my monitor on my desk and listen to the speakers next to the monitor. Part of this is, she's expecting me to do "kitty drums" (I drum gently on her back to the beat of the music, which she loves to have me do), but especially for certain songs I don't even need to do the "kitty drums" to get her interested - she'll put her head near one of the speakers and obviously be listening intently to the sounds and enjoying it. In particular, she seems to like the songs Darcy Farrow by John Denver and Please Let Me Wonder by the Beach Boys (especially the John Denver tune). I'll often also play some Mozart flute music or something by Debussy or Ravel and I can watch her sitting on the floor near me, with her eyes squinted half-closed (a sign of contentment in cats) with her tail gently swaying back and forth.

Anybody else have pets who obviously like music? Or maybe do they run away when you turn it on as if they were saying, "Get me outta here!" Or do they seem indifferent? And if they like music, do they have any noticeable favorites?

crazed · 03-10-2014, 03:36 PM

The cat I have now seems to prefer (looks content, anyway) when pop, instrumental or Americana music is playing. Anything harder than that, she doesn't seem to care for. Metal- well, she usually bolts out the door.

Her predecessor didn't appear to like music at all. The cat in question gave all appearances to enjoy television, preferably Turner Classic Movies. Go figure.

Spike*Spiegel · 03-10-2014, 03:45 PM

My roommate's macaw is in love with Bob Marley, The Pixies and Modest Mouse. She hates Adele, though. Has a total meltdown if you play it on the piano.

DriveYourCarDownToTheSea · 03-10-2014, 03:56 PM

I've seen videos of parrots getting a tune stuck in their heads and singing it to amuse themselves. They're very smart birds.

Spike*Spiegel · 03-10-2014, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriveYourCarDownToTheSea

I've seen videos of parrots getting a tune stuck in their heads and singing it to amuse themselves. They're very smart birds.

Have you seen this?
http://youtu.be/uguXNL93fWg

DriveYourCarDownToTheSea · 03-10-2014, 05:23 PM

^
One day last year I think I spent about an hour watching youtube vids of parrots singing their favorite songs. I think that might have been one of them.

In other news ...

THIS was interesting. I googled "cats and music" and got this:

What Music Do Pets Prefer? : Discovery News

Quote:

Against the conventional wisdom that music is a uniquely human phenomenon, ongoing research shows that animals actually do have the capacity for music. But rather than liking classical or rock, Snowdon, an animal psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has discovered that animals march to the beat of a different drum altogether. They enjoy what he calls "species-specific music": tunes specially designed using the pitches, tones and tempos that are familiar to their particular species.

With no pun intended, music is all about scale: Humans like music that falls within our acoustic and vocal range, uses tones we understand, and progresses at a tempo similar to that of our heartbeats. A tune pitched too high or low sounds grating or ungraspable, and music too fast or slow is unrecognizable as such.

Anyway if you have a pet I'd highly recommend reading the whole article (it goes onto a 2nd page too). It said that dogs often seem to prefer the same music humans do, but that's because they're similar size (at least the larger ones). Cats, being small animals with a huge hearing range tending toward high pitches, have much different tastes. It said someone had done some research and came up with "music for cats" which has 3 songs you can sample and download here:
Music for Cats - listen
"Rusty's Ballad" is actually not all that different from "Please Let Me Wonder" in terms of note range and tempo. That might explain why my cat seems to like it. As for the first two songs, I'm pretty sure I can find some minimalist classical music (John Adams) that is similar. Maybe I should make a mixtape for my cat.

Kartoffelbrei · 03-10-2014, 05:37 PM

My pet rock just sits there..doing nothing..but peeing on the floor.

Actually, sadly I do not have a pet, but when I was in Spain with my best friend, we had her dog with us, and he LOVES the sound of a guitar. So every time I started playing, he started smiling 'n looking at me, and when I stopped he was like: "Pff! Arsehole! I'm goin to look somewhere else now, until you start playing again"
I love animal reactions to music

Psychedub Dude · 03-10-2014, 05:43 PM

My dog Wesley loves music, he hangs out with us when we jam and will just mellow out. Normally he's all pumped up and ready to go so it's nice to have him just straight chillin haha.

My cats like music too, one of my cats Squeak likes music so much he'll often hop on my lap while I'm playing guitar. Sometimes it's all daww but other times I'm like dude wtf! Haha

Annie1 · 03-10-2014, 07:26 PM

I would have to say that some of the songs that I listen to my cats do not mind. However when I start to bop around I don't think that they appreciate that much.

Necromancer · 03-10-2014, 07:41 PM

Our German Shepherd doesn't give a damn either way.

03-10-2014, 02:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
DriveYourCarDownToTheSea AllTheWhileYouChargeAFee Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Kansas City Posts: 1,178	Do your pets like music? Since I listen to a lot of music, my cat gets to listen to a lot of it as well. I've noticed she really seems to like much (but not all) of what I play. Sometimes when I play music on my computer she'll get up in front of my monitor on my desk and listen to the speakers next to the monitor. Part of this is, she's expecting me to do "kitty drums" (I drum gently on her back to the beat of the music, which she loves to have me do), but especially for certain songs I don't even need to do the "kitty drums" to get her interested - she'll put her head near one of the speakers and obviously be listening intently to the sounds and enjoying it. In particular, she seems to like the songs Darcy Farrow by John Denver and Please Let Me Wonder by the Beach Boys (especially the John Denver tune). I'll often also play some Mozart flute music or something by Debussy or Ravel and I can watch her sitting on the floor near me, with her eyes squinted half-closed (a sign of contentment in cats) with her tail gently swaying back and forth. Anybody else have pets who obviously like music? Or maybe do they run away when you turn it on as if they were saying, "Get me outta here!" Or do they seem indifferent? And if they like music, do they have any noticeable favorites? __________________ Stop and find a pretty shell for her Beach Boys vs Beatles comparisons begin here

03-10-2014, 03:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
DriveYourCarDownToTheSea AllTheWhileYouChargeAFee Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Kansas City Posts: 1,178	I've seen videos of parrots getting a tune stuck in their heads and singing it to amuse themselves. They're very smart birds. __________________ Stop and find a pretty shell for her Beach Boys vs Beatles comparisons begin here

03-10-2014, 05:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
Kartoffelbrei una ola nunca viene sola Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Miesbach, Oberbayern Posts: 150	My pet rock just sits there..doing nothing..but peeing on the floor. Actually, sadly I do not have a pet, but when I was in Spain with my best friend, we had her dog with us, and he LOVES the sound of a guitar. So every time I started playing, he started smiling 'n looking at me, and when I stopped he was like: "Pff! Arsehole! I'm goin to look somewhere else now, until you start playing again" I love animal reactions to music __________________ Abra Kadabra, 3 x schwarzer Kater! ~Todos hablan de la mar, pero en ella nunca estan~

03-10-2014, 05:43 PM	#8 (permalink)
Psychedub Dude Nowhere Man Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: In a champagne supernova in the sky Posts: 662	My dog Wesley loves music, he hangs out with us when we jam and will just mellow out. Normally he's all pumped up and ready to go so it's nice to have him just straight chillin haha. My cats like music too, one of my cats Squeak likes music so much he'll often hop on my lap while I'm playing guitar. Sometimes it's all daww but other times I'm like dude wtf! Haha __________________ There is only one beer left Rappers screaming all in our ears like we're deaf Tempt me, do a number on the label Eat up all their MC's and drink 'em under the table [B]Last.fm Shadows Of Our Souls

03-10-2014, 03:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
crazed Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Indiana Posts: 552	The cat I have now seems to prefer (looks content, anyway) when pop, instrumental or Americana music is playing. Anything harder than that, she doesn't seem to care for. Metal- well, she usually bolts out the door. Her predecessor didn't appear to like music at all. The cat in question gave all appearances to enjoy television, preferably Turner Classic Movies. Go figure.

03-10-2014, 03:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
Spike*Spiegel Five Feet of Fury Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: suburbanite Posts: 761	My roommate's macaw is in love with Bob Marley, The Pixies and Modest Mouse. She hates Adele, though. Has a total meltdown if you play it on the piano.

03-10-2014, 07:26 PM	#9 (permalink)
Annie1 Groupie Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 18	I would have to say that some of the songs that I listen to my cats do not mind. However when I start to bop around I don't think that they appreciate that much.

03-10-2014, 07:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
Necromancer Divination Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,655	Our German Shepherd doesn't give a damn either way.