My Pet World: Understanding the sound world of cats

Dear Cathy,

I recently adopted two small kittens and am curious to know if keeping a clock ticking near where they sleep somehow imitates their mother's heartbeat and would make them feel more restful. -- Mike, Garden City, NY

Dear Mike,

What a thoughtful question. People don't often think about the sound world around their felines, and it's great you want to provide a calming environment for your kittens.

To answer your question, I decided to reach out to Sound Behaviorist Janet Marlow, the CEO of Pet Acoustics, a company that produces species-specific music to reduce pet stress. As a fifth-generation musician, Marlow grew up with pets and always noticed they would gather around whenever she played classical guitar. One day, when she took one of her cats to the vet's office, she was surprised there was no music playing to soothe the patients.

Marlow has since spent the last 22 years conducting research and behavioral observations on the hearing of dogs, cats, birds and horses, and was the first to create species-specific music, which eliminates percussive sounds and high frequencies for animal listening.

According to Marlow, feline hearing is greater than the individual hearing of dogs, horses, and birds, and three times greater than human hearing. Since cats are more affected by the sounds around them than other pets, it would seem prudent for feline pet parents to provide a calming environment for their felines.

"Hearing is an overlooked cause of pet stress that can lead to illness and behavior problems," says Marlow. "Cats show stress differently than dogs. They have the same level of response to sound, but dogs respond emotionally by coming up to us and showing us their stress whereas cats move away from the noise and find a place to hide."

So, to answer your question, the rhythmic ticking of the clock might soothe people, but it's a "man-made percussive sound," says Marlow, that won't mask other noise or calm kitties.

"Animals don't respond to human talk, like when we leave the television or radio on, which permeates a short-distance," says Marlow. "Music permeates the air, fills the space and masks out sounds that only cats can hear."

Marlow recommends pet parents pay attention to a cat's body language, specifically the direction and reaction of the ears, to see how they are reacting to their sound world. If they are twitching their ears all the time, they could be hearing things that are causing them stress, and music, it seems, is a better antidote for creating calm kitties.

For more information on species-specific music, visit petacoustics.com

Dear Cathy,

I am a very responsible pet owner. I currently have two small breed dogs, a 13-year-old toy rat terrier, and a nine-year-old tricolor Chihuahua. I walk my doggies every day but, for the most part, they are home bodies. Recently, a disgruntled neighbor called animal control and filed a 'Citizens Complaint' against me and my dogs. The charge is "dog at large."

Never, ever has this been true. She charged that my six-pound Chihuahua bit her dogs. She owns two large breed Shepherds and a Golden Retriever puppy. As I stood with my pup shivering in my arms, I was forced to sign a fake complaint and told that I could pay a $250 fine or go to court (in three months) to fight it. Fight what? A complete lie. She didn't go with the bite because she had zero proof so, she went for was "dog at large." She needs no pictures, no witnesses to the "attack," and no bite marks. She can just charge me with a made-up lie and tie-up an incredible amount of my time. Since calling animal control, she now walks past my house and yells out crazy things. -- Mary, Las Vegas, NV

Dear Mary,

There is nothing worse than fighting with your neighbor over pet issues. It's also stressful to be served a complaint regarding your pets, especially if you feel you and your pets have done nothing wrong. You will have your day in court, however, and while an inconvenience for you, it will certainly provide you with an opportunity to tell your side of the story.

If you're a good pet neighbor, enlist other neighbors on your block to testify or provide an affidavit on your behalf that reflects that viewpoint, like explaining how your dogs are always leashed and under your control when out in the neighborhood, etc. Having witnesses to your responsible pet parenting will go a long way toward defending this complaint.

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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)