Does your dog roll over when it hears Beethoven? Does your cat purr when it hears Puccini? Then it’s in good company. RNZ Concert’s Bryan Crump, presenter of Three to Seven, recently discovered some very discerning listeners at Wellington’s SPCA shelter.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Bryan and the Cats of the SPCA
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Josh Eastwood, team leader in charge of felines and small animals at the Mt Victoria centre, told Crump that RNZ Concert provided a calming soundscape for rescued animals, many of whom are frightened of humans as well as their fellow animal refugees.
RNZ Concert plays in the centre’s ‘timid room’ for cats who are socialised but are still learning to cope with humans and other felines.
“In a home environment they’re going to hear voices, they’re going to hear music, they’re going to hear sounds, and it's just trying to get them used to a nice calming presence in the room, and at the same time, get them used to kind of what it is going to be like in a home,” Eastwood said.
RNZ Concert is top of the pops for the furry listeners thanks to its musical mix. Classical music and jazz are soothing for animals and humans alike, Eastwood said.
“We’ve tried different types of music and radio shows and stuff like that, but we find [RNZ Concert]’s a nice calming, peaceful experience.
“It just creates this nice little peaceful insular soundscape in here. The puppies are right next door, and there's people coming and going so there's all sorts of doors and stuff closing and sounds, so just being able to have kind of that nice underlay of peace helps them to fully be able to come out of their shells and experience the room in a positive way.”
The inscrutable cats in the room wouldn’t comment on their musical preferences, but Eastwood said they would occasionally perk up their ears at the sound of a soprano hitting a high note.
“They’ll be like, ‘wow, what is that?’”
He said providing calming soundscapes for pets benefits their human companions too.
“They’ve done studies that's basically proven that with cats when they purr, our heart rate tries to sync up with theirs, and actually it lowers our heart rate and it calms us down. Them purring is a positive thing can actually help us and our own heart rates and our own anxiety, then nice peaceful sounds and music and everything can do the same for them.
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
“I have a blind cat at home and he's completely blind, so sound is his whole entire world. He recognises my voice, he understands what the crinkle of the treat bag is and stuff like that. Everyone thinks of animals as hunters and apex predators like cats as being very vision-based, but their ears are probably just as important to hearing every little noise and sound and creak.
“When you can give them sound in a nice peaceful way, especially in a new scary environment, it just makes the world of a difference.”
Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver