In a recent small-scale study, cats under general anesthesia were found to process music and react different to different genres.

The study was led by Dr. Miguel Carreira and done in a veterinary clinic in Barreiro near Lisbon, Portugal. Carreira performed the study after noticing that cats being treated at his clinic and during teaching sessions reacted differently to music being played in the background.

Carreira noted, “Different music genres affect individuals in different ways. During consultations, I have noticed, for example, that most cats like classical music, particularly George Handel compositions, and become calmer, confident and tolerant throughout the clinical evaluation.”

For the formal study, physiological readings were taken on 12 female cats that were undergoing neutering surgery under general anesthetic. The respiratory rate and pupil diameter of the cats were recorded as they were played music from different genres in various intervals during the procedure.

The cats were made to listen to classical, pop and heavy metal music for two minutes each, with two minutes of silence in between.

On analysis, it was found that classical music made the cats the most relaxed, with the lowest values in respiratory rates and pupil diameters. On the other hand, heavy metal elicited the most stress, with the highest values in both parameters. Pop music triggered intermediate values.

The researchers concluded that their study results could have implications for cats being operated on under general anesthetic. They said, “Use of certain music genres in the surgical theater may contribute to a decrease in the anesthetic dose required, reducing undesirable side effects of anesthetic agents and thus promoting patient safety.”