# Do your pets like classical music?



## Radames (Feb 27, 2013)

I was listening to my public radio station a while back and they were fundraising. One pitch was to leave the music on during the day for your pets. I have never had an animal that showed the least bit of interest in any kind of music. Have you? I'm a cat person though. I have not had a dog since I was a kid. I see a study here that says "Classical music can reduce dogs' stress levels..."
http://www.rescueanimalmp3.org/wp-c...y-stimulation-on-kenneled-dogs-published1.pdf


----------



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

My dog likes music, I'm sure. Not quite as much as the HMV dog but quite a lot. I'm not sure what she thinks of atonal and ugly discordant music, though.


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I wasn't sure so I asked my 3 cats before. One meowed until i let her out, one went on the litter tray and left an unholy smell and one lay on her back (showing her big fluffy belly) and encouraged me to stroke her until she attacked my hand. As yet ive not had an answer but i have observed that they dont run out as soon as I put on Beethoven symphonies or try and turn the CD player off. I take that as a positive. They may feel differently about other composers.


----------



## Varick (Apr 30, 2014)

When I was in college, one of my music history professors constantly referred to a study they did in Sweden that when playing atonal music, dairy cows produced less milk and when they put tonal music (this was all classical music), they produced more than even without any music playing.

My dog (RIP a few weeks ago), seemed to relax a bit more (she was an extremely energetic border collie) when I played Mozart, Bach, and Mark Knopfler. It could have our biased perception, but when I started paying attention to her behavior before and after I started the music, I'll be damned if I didn't see her stop what she was actively doing, lie down, and relax or go to sleep almost every time.

What she could never understand though was the concept of dancing. She would stare at my wife and I like we were out of our minds when we danced and she hated when my wife would pick her front paws up and start dancing with her. She always nervously stared at me with a look that said, "Daddy PLEASE help!!!"

V


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

My cat seems not to really pay attention or listen to music, and music seems to be just like noise like the whirring of the fan or something. I was hoping to train it to be a musical prodigy.


----------



## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

My dog gets scared when the organ music comes on but other than that I have noticed no effect.


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Though Virgil does seem to enjoy the finale to Rossini's _William Tell Overture_, he actually prefers literature and graphic art to music, which is fine with me. I don't have to worry about him hogging the stereo, scratching my records, or disrupting the meticulously catalogued alphabetical order of my CD collection!









It's bad enough I sometimes have to search his stall to find my 1902 "Cambridge Edition" _Works of Shakespeare_. And the time I took him through the Missoula Art Museum? I don't even want to _try _to remember _that_ experience. It's never a good idea to horse around in an art museum.

----

Ok, I'm forced to edit this post to note that Virgil became irate that I posted something about him in a thread with the context of "pets" being that Virgil does not consider himself a pet. I do have some goldfish in the pond, but I've never discussed music with them.


----------



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I believe goldfish like music but don't remember it.


----------



## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

If you look at my profile page, in the photo of my cat Arthur we are both listening to Boulez's Pli Selon Pli. His expression may, or may not, represent a protest...


----------



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

TurnaboutVox said:


> If you look at my profile page, in the photo of my cat Arthur we are both listening to Boulez's Pli Selon Pli. His expression may, or may not, represent a protest...


I don't know cats that well but it looks like ecstasy to me. I suspect some members will be setting the Cats Protection League onto you, though.


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I put my headphones on Gibson the cat, this morning. She ran off. Perhaps she was unimpressed with Szell's approach to the music or Dvorak's 7th symphony. I may not get the answer to this until she comes in later for munchies.


----------



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I don't think Szell is really a cats' conductor.


----------



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Varick said:


> When I was in college, one of my music history professors constantly referred to a study they did in Sweden that when playing atonal music, dairy cows produced less milk and when they put tonal music (this was all classical music), they produced more than even without any music playing.
> V


How did he explain that? Did he go the "they were uncomfortable with serial" (or is that cereal?) route or did he recognise that they found more to think about in the atonal piece and therefore forgot about the milk production?


----------



## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Don't have pets but our friends have two cats. They insisted on putting on a performance of Lang Lang on U Tube one day on a visit. While we were all cringing, the cats wete sitting upright in front of the TV looking as though they were enjoying every minute. Think it's time to educate them!!


----------



## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

My cats like it, the dog no. None of them liked Mahler or Bruckner.


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

larold said:


> My cats like it, the dog no. None of them liked Mahler or Bruckner.


Was it a Mahler 8 and Bruckner 3? If so, they may prefer more popular alternative symphonies by each composer.


----------



## cougarjuno (Jul 1, 2012)

My long departed cats (Cougar and Juno) never paid attention to any music classical or otherwise although Cougar always enjoyed when I picked him and danced to George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set on You."


----------



## Varick (Apr 30, 2014)

Enthusiast said:


> How did he explain that? Did he go the "they were uncomfortable with serial" (or is that cereal?) route or did he recognise that they found more to think about in the atonal piece and therefore forgot about the milk production?


GOOD question! I never thought of that angle. I'm going to have to give that one some thought. Well, there goes the next few hours of my day....

V


----------



## Oldhoosierdude (May 29, 2016)

There's a cat here for the last 15 years. He hates everything and thinks he's better than me.


----------



## Judas Priest Fan (Apr 27, 2018)

My favorite cat is used to Rock and Metal.

When I started listening to classical music, he didn´t like it. Now, it doesn´t seem to bother him; except for Paganini. He doesn´t seem to like Paganini.

Beethoven´s string quartetts, on the other hand, don´t bother him.


----------



## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

Birds love baroque music, they never become afraid to come at my balcony when I play baroque music, they love flute, harpsichord, recorder, lute, airs :tiphat: I am not sure about noisy symphonies, but my cat seems to hate them.


----------



## JayBee (Apr 14, 2018)

My cats seem to pay no attention to classical (or any other) music, except to have a slight aversion to the sounds of the flute. I assume it's the pitch, but upper-register violin doesn't seem to bother them. What always causes me to smile, though, is when a live recording ends with an outburst of applause. Never fails to cause a sleeping or drowsy head to come to immediate attention with eyes wide and ears fully on alert.


----------



## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

.......................................


----------



## endelbendel (Jul 7, 2018)

The dogs do not respond to any type of music, nor vocals. i play recordings most of the time, and quite loud. They do react to sounds that are transition signals, like the turn off tones of the computer. Perhaps habituated, but no reactions when as young pups they were first exposed. Strongly responsive to natural sounds, so i cannot play those relax-by-natural-sound recordings or Paul Winter without alerting (confusing) them. Sounds i cannot hear from the surrounding wald and certain familiar cars they are aroused and expressive for. i encourage this barking. Irish setters, several generations.


----------



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Joe B said:


> .......................................


Hey, Joe B, what's with all the empty (deleted?) posts? Are you OK?


----------

