Cats liking certain songs?

Just want to gauge everyone's opinion on whether or not cats have the ability to recognize and/or enjoy certain songs.

I only ask because every time I play Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes," Boots jumps onto his favorite purple blanket, purrs, and starts to make biscuits.

It's probably entirely coincidental, but I like to think he's a Paul Simon fan too.

Does anyone else's cat have a noticeable reaction to music?

Er...sorry, "make biscuits"? What does that mean?

My cats aren't fans of hard rock/metal. They get right on out of my room. But they absolutely love curling up with each other on the bed when I break out my "sleep" playlist. Soothing for their ears and mine, I suppose! I've also noticed that upbeat jazz gets McGee in a playful mood.

Oh, sorry, it means this

Some people call it "kneading."

My brother has found that Mozart and Bach are favorites of his Sheba. He assumes her previous owner played them all the time.

Ohh, gotcha. I've always called it "kneading". I guess I can see where "making biscuits" comes into play, too! Cosette does that with this fleece blanket I have. She looooooves it!

Why wouldn't they recognize a song they enjoy?

FYI, cats almost universally love harp music. Very calming for ferals.

My kitties like to hear dh play his guitar, and I softly sing them when I hold them.
I had a cat that just wandered up every time she had kittens that would turn on the radio. She figured out which button to push. If it was not on the classic radio station, she would turn it back off.
My sweet little Fred was a Meat Loaf fan.

Peanut likes to rock out! Whenever I play music by RED or Breaking Benjamin or so, he thumps his tail on the floor... sometimes with the beat of the song. He's pretty good at it!

Fluffy Ratbag does not like to travel and makes his irritation known by the non-stop, plaintive miaowing that comes from inside his travel box.

Until the day that "Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera came on the radio and the complaints stopped and the purring started.

So now, whenever he has to travel anywhere, we have "Dirrty" on loop and he's as quiet as anything. Oddly, it's just that one track.

After a few miles it drives us up the wall......

Originally Posted by Melorix

My cats aren't fans of hard rock/metal.

Click to expand...

Here, the kids don't have much of a choice; it's either rock or nothing. When I have music playing while I'm cooking or cleaning, they'll stay right in the living room and continue to nap away.

I've picked Mollipop up a few times and tried to dance with her. She was not amused in the slightest.

Weird what they'll sleep through....

Fluffy Ratbag belts out of the room when I pick up my guitar or he hears the amp turn on (I'm not taking that as a comment on my playing). Sprog (his nemesis) just sleeps through. He might occasionally open an eye but that's about as far as it goes.....

Cora definitely reacts to certain songs.
A friend of mine created this dubstep song, that every time I turn on, she just stops and starts looking around strangely. I listen to a lot of dubstep, but this is the only one she reacts to that way. It's hilarious

My cats like the tone of Adele's voice and will sing along with me.

I don't believe they enjoy music or can differentiate between 2-pac and Justin Bieber.

However, I do believe that they can learn to associate certain noises with action.

If I say "yum yum! yum yum!" my cats get very excited and come running. If instead I always played the same type of music, they may associate that with something pleasant.

My kitties listen to dubstep quite loudly w/ a subwoofer that shakes the room. They don't mind it, and in fact Buttercup often sits on the subwoofer getting her butt vibrated probably just cuz it gets very warm since it has a large built in amplifier, heh.

I don't know about "enjoying" certain music, but I have noticed that one of my girls, Willow will act, well, perkier when a certain song or tune is being played. I first noticed that she got happy and carefree and animated when I was humming the MarineLand tune ("Everyone looooooves MarineLand!"). I was laying on my belly and she immediately jumped on my back and walked around, leaving and coming back. It's really subtle, but it's there. Another time, sometime in the last couple years, I was playing Enya's "Deora Ar Mo Chroi" on the computer when she was downstairs with me (something that NEVER happens: she's too spooky about the basement) and she jumped up on the chair with me and was acting all lovey and perky, wanting pets. When the song ended, she seemed to "cool" a bit, and when I replayed the song to see what'd happen, I swear she acted happier again.

Never had her react, in either direction, to a song before or since. Neither of the other two cats have ever reacted to a song before.

I play the cello. Over the years, some of my cats come around close by when I am practicing (all "classical" music). Others will go as far away as possible in the house.

I try not to take it personally as commentary regarding my playing.


Robin