Cats don’t like Cats (the musical). Neither do leopards enjoy Def Leppard. But they might just enjoy a bit of the Rossini-derived Cat Duet.
A study has found that cats are indifferent to pop music, positively opposed to heavy metal but quite like a bit of classical. The study, published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, looked at 12 cats who were undergoing operations. While under anaesthetic, the cats, wearing headphones, were exposed to the three genres of music for two minutes at a time while their physiological response, in the form of pupil diameter and breathing rate, was measured. Those listening to classical music appeared calmer — breathing more slowly and with smaller pupils.
Miguel Carreira, from the University of Lisbon,