Classical Music Helps Cats Stay Calm During Surgery

We may never see cats listening to our favorite jams with headphones on. But scientists do recognize that they can pick up a beat or too.

New findings in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery have even discovered that listening to certain sounds have been found helpful for keeping kitties calm under pressure during surgery. And soothing classical symphonies are what felines seemed to prefer best, according to researchers.

"In the surgical theatres at the faculty where I teach and at the private veterinary medical centre where I spend my time operating, environmental music is always present, and is an important element in promoting a sense of wellbeing in the team, the animals, and their owners. Different music genres affect individuals in different ways," said lead study author Miguel Carreira of the University of Lisbon in Portugal, in a news release. "During consultations I have noticed, for example, that most cats like classical music, particularly George Handel compositions, and become more calm, confident and tolerant throughout the clinical evaluation. After reading about the influence of music on physiological parameters in humans, I decided to design a study protocol to investigate whether music could have any physiological effects on my surgical patients."

For the study, clinicians of Barriero studied 12 female pet cats undergoing surgery for neutering. They recorded their respiratory rates and pupil diameter at various points to gauge the depth of the anaesthesia. The cats had also been fitted for headphones. They were randomly exposed to 2 minutes each of Barber's 'Adagio for Strings (Opus 11)', Natalie Imbruglia's 'Thorn' and AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck'.

Findings revealed that they were in a more relaxed state when under the influence of classical music than other types, such as pop. Even worse, heavy metal seemed to stress the cats out a lot more than no music at all.

Researchers concluded that certain genres of music helped to reduce the risk of undesirable effects of the anaesthetic agent. However, more studies will be required to determine long-term effects and the future of music's involvement.

For instance, with future studies, researchers hope to examine the influence of music on other physiological parameters, including cortisol and catecholamines in dogs and cats.

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