Discovering the Ideal Melodies to Ease a Cat's Anxiety Levels

Identifying Tunes to Lower Stress in Feline Friends

, and ASMedia

2025 September 19 . 8:52 PM

2 min read

Music for Lowering a Cat's Stress Level: Top Picks

Discovering the Ideal Melodies to Ease a Cat's Anxiety Levels

In a groundbreaking study published in the "Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery", researchers have discovered that cat-specific music can help reduce stress levels in felines. The first author of the paper is Amanda Hampton from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, with Dr. Emily Carter serving as the report's author.

The research assessed the effect of cat-specific musical sounds on the stress levels of 20 domestic cats during veterinary visits. The study found that cat-specific music was associated with lower cat stress scores and lower handling scale scores compared to classical music or no music.

Previous studies have shown that cats prefer music made with cat vocalizations, have their own preferred tempos, and prefer normal vocal frequencies. Cat-specific music, therefore, is music that felines tend to prefer.

Interestingly, the music had no effect on the physiological stress responses measured by neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio. Other research has examined the specific types of music that cats respond to and found that classical music is more likely to induce relaxation than pop music or heavy metal.

The new study builds on previous work that showed felines are responsive to music even under general anesthesia. Blood samples were drawn from the cats to assess their ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes as a physiological marker of stress.

The results showed associations with lower stress scores when cat-specific music was played. The researchers used cat stress scores and cat handling scores to evaluate the felines' stress levels. The original article was published on MedicalNewsToday.com.

The study suggests that cat-specific music may benefit cats by decreasing stress levels and increasing the quality of care in veterinary clinical settings. This could potentially lead to less stress for both cats and their owners during vet visits.

This research opens up new possibilities for understanding and addressing feline stress, potentially improving the overall health and welfare of cats in various settings, including homes and veterinary clinics.