Pachelbel’s Canon in D on my flute, my Morgan gelding, Ten Penny Moon- shine, listened for hours.”


Rabbits Hear


Up to 42,000 Hz “Rescued rabbits like long tones, common in music accompany- ing yoga or reiki,” Morgan relates. “Long tones hold a chord with lay- ers of notes on top.”


Dogs Hear Up to 45,000 Hz


“People hear in stereo, animals in mono,” says Marlow. It’s why dogs tilt their heads left to right—to allow more sound waves into their ears—collecting information from various angles. Sound frequency and intensity keeps an animal alive in nature; they learn to flee in another direction, not analyze. Separation anxiety is often due to a sound the dog doesn’t recognize, Marlow explains. Sound triggers behavior, whether good or bad, as dogs relax or are stressed. Mu- sic releases tension from their being ever-vigilant as seen in their posture. To understand what a dog hears, sit or crawl on the floor. Electronic speak- ers are usually positioned at heights conducive for our ears, not theirs. “For the holidays, my dogs and


horses like We Three Kings, The Holly and the Ivy and especially Greensleeves for their baroque roots and repeating patterns,” notes Morgan.


Cats Hear Up to 64,000 Hz


Marlow credits her cat, Osborn, with inspiring her interest in music for ani- mals. When Osborn was injured, she visited the veterinary hospital and sang to him to keep him calm. Her home state’s Litchfield Veterinary Hospital became her initial testing ground for species-specific music. “We use Pet Acoustics music boxes


in the cat ward, recovery rooms and exam rooms,” says Heather Florkowski, a certified technician at the facility. “In our experience, stress inhibits the heal- ing process. Like people, animals are anxious when ill and visiting the doc- tor’s office. Music helps ease their stress. At home, when I move the music box to another room, my dog follows it.”


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“During a TTouch session, cats are completely relaxed when I play New Age music for them,” says Morgan. “Pick music that fits the cat’s personali- ty. You can tell what they like from their body language; it’s not always what you’d expect.”


Aquarium Fish


Hear Up to 3,000 Hz “Fish are frantic animals that must always anticipate their next meal,” says Sam Williamson, a former marine bi-


ologist in Edinburgh, Scotland. “When I started playing classical music at feeding time, I noticed my three betas became calmer. A piece by Benjamin Britten, started two minutes before feed- ing, led to them expect food only when the music played.”


Domesticated Birds


Hear Up to 8,500 Hz In the wild, birds are part of a flock. At home, they’re often solitary. “Birds are the most musical and communicative of all animals,” re- marks Marlow. “Without companion- ship, birds can get neurotic and pull their feathers out. Provide a sense of the outdoors by including nature sounds in played music.” “Animals need us to be aware of


their hearing,” Marlow advises. “Holis- tic pet people have addressed im- proved diet and medical procedures. Understanding how music supports their well-being also enables us to bet- ter care for them.”


Connect with Sandra Murphy at StLouisFreelanceWriter@mindspring.com.


Makushin Alexey/Shutterstock.com


Roman Pyshchyk/Shutterstock.com


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