Cats who love music

January 3, 2018 12:53 PM

Pamela Merritt writes about her cat Tristan who loves Sade and similar music.

Sarper Duman plays piano for his nine cats, one of whom likes to join in for a duet.

Namik the cat loves Sarper Duman's music and despite being blind, hugs the phone close when it plays a Duman video.

posted by Emmy Rae (18 comments total)

Huh. My cat hates almost all music, but she especially hates Leonard Cohen. I can't actually listen to music when she's in the room because she gets so agitated and mews so loudly. My music consumption is through the floor these past few years because she follows me around so much. On the other hand, my consumption of lying-in-bed-with-the-cat has skyrocketed, at least.
posted by Frowner at 1:02 PM on January 3, 2018 [7 favorites]

Always be happy, Namik.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 1:05 PM on January 3, 2018 [5 favorites]

Charming. Cats are the best.
posted by MovableBookLady at 1:10 PM on January 3, 2018 [2 favorites]

My cat doesn't have much to say about music (unless it is loud) but she hates it when I sing. Looks at me in horror, runs away, meows, etc. Maybe I haven't found the right genre.
posted by Emmy Rae at 1:15 PM on January 3, 2018

Sarper Duman plays piano for his nine cats, one of whom likes to join in for a duet.

zomg that's adorable
posted by thelonius at 1:19 PM on January 3, 2018 [2 favorites]

What an excellent post full of excellent cats.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:33 PM on January 3, 2018 [3 favorites]

her cat Tristan who loves Sade

No surprise, there. Have you seen what they do to mice?

and similar music

Oh. Never mind.
posted by Slothrup at 1:44 PM on January 3, 2018 [3 favorites]

I have seen many different cats get stuck in the stereo sweet spot and kind of freak out, especially when playing trippy IDM or ambient stuff. I once had a cat who would get stuck there and kind of boggle her eyes and ears around in time with the music.

Somewhat related I've been at outdoor electronic music parties and have heard/watched songbirds mimicking notes and melodies and keeping tempo with their own improv jams. The first time I heard it I wasn't really sure if I was imagining things or not, but then it happened a few more times, and now I actually seek it out and expect it if I go on a walk away from a sound system. Heck, I've played random IDM quietly on my little bluetooth boombox on the beach around and I've had finches and sparrows show up and start tweeting at me and showing off.
posted by loquacious at 2:30 PM on January 3, 2018 [7 favorites]

My rabbit likes to sit under the piano. But he also likes to sit beside the humidifier. (Idea - play Handel's Water Music.)
posted by lagomorphius at 3:16 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

Our house cat seemed oblivious to all music. Except for Herbie Mann albums. Cat always came around and napped on my lap when I played Herbie Mann.
posted by klarck at 4:39 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

Frowner:My cat hates almost all music, but she especially hates Leonard Cohen.
First we take the canned ham, then we take Bird-lin. Halle-mew-jah.

Erm, I'll just see myself out.
posted by zaixfeep at 6:40 PM on January 3, 2018

I didn't know how much I needed this until now. Thank you!
posted by Pfardentrott at 7:40 PM on January 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

My cat seems to ignore music in general. Other than an occasional interest in nature documentaries, she's not much for media. But more often than not, when I play guitar, I find her in the room by the time I've finished.

I consider that high praise.
posted by MrVisible at 4:39 AM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

When I play guitar, one of my cats will come over and try to bite the strings.

Everyone's a critic.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 12:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]

Our dearly departed cat loved Ron Sexsmith, but our young one has yet to figure out quite what music is. She does like watching Katherine Hepburn movies, however, and will stop whatever she is doing/destroying if we put on The Lion In Winter. I don't know how cats decide which timbres of human voice they individually like, but many of them do seem to have preferences.
posted by halation at 9:58 AM on January 5, 2018

For one of my cats it's the instrument: she loves the viola da gamba.
posted by homunculus at 10:16 AM on January 5, 2018

I just don't know if I believe the article without inline photos of her cat.

My cat basically ignores any music we have playing (which we do pretty much constantly) unless I specifically am singing to her (changing the words to be about her, naturally). EXCEPT she always startles and looks around when the songs we have as our morning alarm (Honey in the Sun by Camera Obscura) or "doorbell" (That's Entertainment by The Jam) come on.

However, if we're PLAYING instruments (guitar and ukulele) she leaves the room in disgust.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:00 AM on January 5, 2018

Our cats like the sound of Westerns on TV, and Mesmersonics' album My Cat Tunes, which is designed to appeal to their sonic sensibilities. They dig that so much it's a little scary.
posted by Scram at 7:43 AM on January 7, 2018