Cats and cat ladies rejoice! Cat music is finally here. It is not merely music by Cat Stevens, Stray Cats, Cat Power, or that popular Tom Jones song “What’s New Pussycat?,” it is music for cats by cats. Unfortunately, the sounds are recorded by humans. So, who spent the time on this study that have given cats a singing voice in a music market dominated by humans? The Applied Animal Behavior Science people did.
The music may be be recorded by humans, but is in their own vocals. Think Baxter from the Meow Mix commercials . Just as English-speaking people find it easier to get into English sung music, German-speaking to German singing, and so on and so forth.
How is this is possible, short of recording your cat meowing? Well, it is has nothing to do with iOS apps like Cat Piano.
According to Charles T. Snowdon, a psychologist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison , the cat music he records is said to mimic “feline vocal communication and environmental sounds that pique the interest of cats.” One aspect that really sweetens the deal for felines everywhere, is the fact that there is an album that is in production is aptly called Music for Cats. Snowdon explains just how he recorded the next big cat craze, and according to the Independent, it is a matter of vocalizations .
“We looked at the natural vocalisations of cats and matched our music to the same frequency range, which is about an octave or more higher than human voices. Since cats use lots of sliding frequencies in their calls, the cat music had many more sliding notes than the human music.”
In case your were wondering, so far, the Music for Cats album has three tracks. Snowdon introduces the world to three different genres of cat music. There is “Cat Ballads”, “Kitty Ditties”, and “Feline Airs”. Each cat song can be purchased individually for download, but a full album is still forthcoming. The ‘Music for Cats’ website tagline explains just why you want to purchase cat tunes.
“All of the music that you ever heard, every note, every phrase was written by and for humans. Now for the first time, there is authentic music for cats. A hundred years from now people will have to be taught that music was once available only to humans.”
The music is made for cats, but can potentially be appreciated by their human owners. Since many cat owners view their pets like furry children, they may want to check out what their cats are listening to, before they allow them to own it.
For those who can’t wait for the CD, a few samples have been posted.
– Rusty’s Ballad
– Spook’s Ditty
– Cozmo’s Air
There is a certain cat island, that the Inquisitr reported on Tuesday, that will probably be all purrs when they hear the news.
What are you thoughts? Will you be purchasing “Music for Cats” for your furry friend? Is this a long time in coming, or a pointless waste of scientific research?
Leave your thoughts.
[Resized Image Via Flickr / David Precious ]
