What kind of music does my pet like?

Music has a way of tapping into our emotions in the most profound way. When we listen to music, we can feel the melodies, empathize with the lyrics and our brain releases feel-good chemicals.  

So if music has such a strong effect on us as humans, it’s worth wondering what effects it could have on our furry friends. And this is something fur baby parents have already been exploring – and even creating playlists for. 

In 2020, Spotify surveyed 5,000 music streaming companion animal parents across the world and found that 71% of them play music for their animals.  Music therapy allows for a safe way to help animals with their anxieties or phobias. Music can also help with chronic pain and recovery. 

The use of music in animal centres 

Classical music, light jazz, environmental sounds and lullabies are common music genres played for animals. Many animals have higher-than-average hearing capacities so louder, faster tempo music can be overwhelming. 

Make sure to choose music that has a calm rhythm and keep it to a lower volume.  Experts agree on conventional favourites like Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven, however remember to choose their quieter works so as not to overwhelm your animal.  Reggae has started to be used for dogs as well, as it has softer sounds and a steady beat. Always observe your furry friend when first trying a new kind of music to determine which sound works best. 

With so many benefits to our furry friends and the PAW-pularity of music-listening animals, Spotify even created a feature to help you create profiles and playlists for your furry friends to enjoy. So if your cat is the next “Kitty Purry” or you need to know “Who let the dogs out,” look no further than music therapy. 

As well as Spotify playlists, there are also physical CD’s created for your cat or dog. A few used at our animal centres include “Through a Dog’s Ear” and “Through a Cat’s Ear.”