Cats find classical music 'cool'

A new study has revealed that classical music helps calm and tolerant cats during the surgery.

According to the research by veterinary clinicians at the University of Lisbon and a clinic in the nearby town of Barreiro in Portugal, music was likewise beneficial for cats in the surgical environment. But not all music was equal in this respect; cats, it seems, benefit most from classical music.

The results showed that the cats were in a more relaxed state (as determined by their lower values for respiratory rate and pupil diameter) under the influence of classical music, with the pop music producing intermediate values. By contrast, the heavy metal music produced the highest values, indicating a more stressful situation.

The clinicians concluded that the use of certain music genres in the surgical theatre may allow a decrease in the dose of anaesthetic agent required, in turn reducing the risk of undesirable side effects and thus promoting patient safety.

Dr Miguel Carreira and his colleagues plan to continue their studies by looking at the influence of music on other physiological parameters, including cortisol and catecholamines, in dogs as well as cats.

In the future, they hope to incorporate more sophisticated techniques, such as functional MRI and electroencephalography, into their investigations.

The study is published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.