Do Felines Have Instrument Preferences?

MrNally asks: "Last night I was trying out my new harmonica when my cats started to freak. A quick check of google (isn't the internet wonderful - la la) reveals that, as a rule, cats hate the harmonica. Here's a small company that has used this to 'cat proof' your computer, playing harmonica sounds whenever the keyboard is used in cat-like ways. Does anyone know anything about feline physiology? Any ideas why my cats hate my Bob Dylan renditions when played on the harmonica, but don't seem to mind it on the guitar? And then there's the point that someone has turned this into a computer solution which suggests that there's a bandwidth limitation to their hatred (that is, their hatred is still true even after a low pass filter). Most importantly, is there any similar system that could be created for certain humans? ;-)" So remember, folks, if you don't want any household catastrophes, leave the harmonica renditions of your favorite songs to a feline-claw-free environment. Come to think of it, are there any particular instruments cats like?

Comments

Higher partials

[heikkile]

I suspect it has something to do with the higher partials, the cat hearing range goes pretty high - some say 100 KHz, although not linearily. I have noticed that my CD player does not disturb them, but when I play my harpsichord, or the recorders (especially smaller ones), the cats tend to leave the room.

depends on the cat, and the instrument

[Cutthroat]

I've got three cats. My wife plays piano, and works with various other instrumentalists and singers. What we've observed so far:

Cat #1:
Seems to hate pretty much everything. All you have to do is reach for the piano keys and he leaves the room. It might be that he just hates piano.

Cat #2:
She doesn't like piano much, but she *loves* sopranos. When a soprano starts singing, she's been known to run right over and flop at her feet. It's interesting that she doesn't seem to be as fond of countertenors.

Cat #3:
She's pretty antisocial in general, so it's remarkable if she's around when there's anyone in the room who doesn't also live in the house. She doesn't seem to care much one way or another about piano, unless it's one of the young piano students playing. She has a knack of picking the ones who are terrified of cats. She tends to like sopranos too, although she'll usually leave them alone while they're singing.

So far, none of them seem very interested in cellos, violas, violins or tenors, although there's been less opportunities to observe, so it's hard to say whether it's indifference or dislike.

Dunno if this was an April Fools' post, but it's actually a valid question to me!

My cat hates it when I whistle

[pete-classic]

I play with my cat by whistling at the highest note I can and she bites me. She stops the instant I stop, and just licks me till I start again. Pretty funny trick when you see it. She is smart too, she knows just where to bite me. Back of the knees, between the toes, on the arm just behind the armpit. All the most tender spots.

She does the same thing when I play with the ring tones on my cell phone.

-Peter

Irish Folk Music

[acroyear]

My eldest cat adores the sound/feel of the Irish Uillean pipes. Whenever i'm playing irish folk music on the stereo, she goes to sleep on the speakers to the vibrations...