An album of music composed just for cats is to be released – and dogs and horses could be next
'Not all cats respond, one will go right over to the speaker and one will just walk out of the room,' says composer David Teie
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Your support makes all the difference.An entire album of music designed for cats is to be released by a major record label.
David Teie, a cellist and scientist, composed five different combinations of classical music and sounds to help calm distressed and troubled cats.
Universal Music will release Music for Cats after a Kickstarter campaign raised hundreds of thousands of pounds and sold 10,000 records independently.
Describing the sounds, Mr Teie, who is allergic to cats, said: "The sound of suckling milk was a reward-related sound and then I layer in the lower register of human music to make it palatable to owners. Hopefully it will appeal to both.
"Not all cats respond, one will go right over to the speaker and one will just walk out of the room.
"I like the idea that critical taste applies to cats too. But I've been sent videos where cats nuzzle up to the speaker or even curl completely round it."
The album was inspired by his theory about how cats appreciate music through the established sounds they hear as kittens such as suckling for milk and their mother's purr as well as birds chirping.
Mr Teie added: "Very excitable cats are completely calmed and formerly abused or feral cats tend to respond the best.
"We make the music available for free at shelters, where a lot of our testimonials come from. The time it normally takes to get a formerly feral cat ready to interact with humans is usually measured in days and weeks but the music has helped them in just one day.
"It is communication in the cat's language, of acceptance and understanding and the comfort that goes along with that."
Mr Teie, who plays in the US National Symphony Orchestra, said all mammals are able to appreciate music as long as it is introduced in the right way.
A spokesman for Universal Music said: "We're thrilled to be part of this world-first project and break into the massive untapped market of non-human music fans.
"The possibilities are endless for more species-specific 'Music For' albums: dogs and horses could all be on the cards.
"David Teie's creative ideas, passion and solid research has laid the perfect foundation for success."
Music For Cats will be released via Universal Music on 28 October.
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