Taking a cat to the veterinarian can be a stressful and traumatic experience for the pet as well as the owner. Today, we highlight a study published in the JFMS (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery), having shown that making the cat listen to a specific type of music during the visit can help it to be less stressful.
The use of music has become increasingly popular in human medicine, with numerous studies showing a range of benefits, ranging from improved motor and cognitive function in stroke patients, to reduction of anxiety associated with medical examinations, diagnostic procedures and surgery. Now there is evidence to show that the benefits of music are also seen in cats as well as other animals.
Research published previously in the JFMS had already indicated that cats, under the effect of general anesthesia, however remain physiologically sensitive to music: in addition, they seem to be in a more relaxed state when they hear classical music, compared to pop or heavy metal.
Relaxing your cat and reducing anxiety with music is possible
In this latest study, researchers at Louisiana State University (LSU) analyzed the impact of different types of music, exploring the calming effects of composed music, specifically for cats.
You should know that the compositions considered pleasant to the human ear always have a rhythm similar to the frequency of the human pulse at rest and often contain frequencies similar to the natural human vocal range.
Therefore, the researchers founded themselves on this principle to create music specifically pleasant for cats, composed of vocalizations from affiliated cats (such as purring and nursing sounds), as well as frequencies similar to feline vocal range (two octaves above that of humans).
Then, in order to assess the effects of cat-specific music, 20 company specimens enrolled in the LSU study and were subjected to listening to it for 20 minutes.
The researchers also played classical music (“Elegy”, from Gabriel Fauré), or no music (silence) in a random order. All of these tests were carried out each time during a visit to the veterinarian, two weeks apart.
They also assigned “stress scores” to cats, based on their behavior and posture, as well as “average treatment scale scores” (based on cats’ reactions to actions performed by their owner). These scores were assigned from video recordings of the exams. The neutrophil / lymphocyte ratios of the blood samples were also measured to look for a response to physiological stress.
Positive results
The study found that cats appeared to be less stressed during the examination (as indicated by stress scores and average treatment scale scores for cats) when they could hear cat-specific music, compared to classical music and the absence of music.
This effect was not reflected in the neutrophil / lymphocyte ratio, but scientists suggest that 20 minutes may not have been enough to affect this measurement.
By lowering stress levels, the researchers conclude that music specially designed for cats can not only have benefits for the well-being of the cat, but also that it would console the owners during a visit to the veterinarian, allowing their animal to have a less unpleasant experience.
