Calm
Calming music for anxious cats
Purring, slow notes and soft trills to help a stressed cat settle: before a vet visit, during fireworks or thunder, with visitors, or after a move. Research found lower stress scores at the vet with music made for cats.
- Free, no sign-up
- No ads
- Never loops
- Sleep timer
Choose a mood
Slow held notes over a purr and a warm bass, with a few gentle slides.
Press play. The music starts in a second or two.
When calming music helps
- Vet visits. Play it at home while the carrier is out, in the car, and in the waiting room on your phone. Cats hearing cat music at the vet had lower stress scores in a study.
- Fireworks and thunder. Start before the noise begins, close the curtains, and play the music in a room with a hiding place. It softens sudden bangs rather than covering them.
- Visitors, building work, moving house. A familiar, calm sound in a safe room helps your cat cope with change.
- Cats in heat. Music won't stop the calling, but a calm room and quiet music can help restless evenings. Ask your vet about spaying.
- Home alone. A quiet mood with a long timer can soften silence for cats who don't like being left. Leave water, a bed and a hiding place.
Music works best with a calm setup
- Give your cat a safe room with a hiding place: a box, a covered bed or the carrier with a blanket.
- Play the music at a low volume, near the hiding place but not inside it. Let your cat choose to come or go.
- Keep your own voice soft and slow, and don't pull a hiding cat out.
- Afterwards, a little play and a treat help your cat end on a good note.
If your cat is anxious often, stops eating, hides for days or over-grooms, see your vet: stress can be a sign of pain or illness, and there are treatments that help.
What the research says
- Cats come to music made for them. In 47 homes, cats played music composed for cats (higher notes, with tempos taken from purring and suckling) walked to the speaker and rubbed against it sooner and more often than with classical music. Snowdon, Teie & Savage, 2015
- Less stress at the vet. 20 cats were examined three times, two weeks apart: with cat-specific music they had lower stress and handling scores than with classical music or silence. Blood stress markers did not change. Hampton et al., 2020
- Small effects, honestly. In 35 cats staying in hospital, stress scores were no different with music, though cats hearing cat-specific music were friendlier at the first check. Paz et al., 2022
So: music made for cats can help some cats feel calmer, and many cats find it interesting. It is a gentle help, not a treatment.
More music for cats
When the storm has passed
Once your cat is relaxed again, a little play helps them end the day on a good note. Our tablet games are free to try.
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Mouse Hunt
Mice peek out of their holes, scurry across the floor and squeak. Your cat hunts them down.
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Bird Feeder
Colourful birds fly in, land on branches, hop and peck in the grass, chirp, and flutter away from paws.
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Fish Pond
Bright fish glide through a pond, hide under lily pads and splash when caught.
Questions from cat owners
Should I start the music before the stressful event?
Yes. Start 15–30 minutes before a vet trip or before fireworks are due, so your cat is already settled and the music feels familiar.
Which mood is best for an anxious cat?
Purr Lullaby or Deep Purr: both are slow and purr-led, with nothing sudden. Avoid Chirps and Chitter, which is meant to make cats curious.
Is the cat music free?
Yes, completely: no sign-up, no ads and no time limit. Play it as long as you like. It is our gift to cats; the games are what we sell.
Why does it sound a bit strange to me?
It is made for cat ears, not human ones: a purr underneath, trills and slides like cat voices, and slow notes without a beat. Many people find it calm too, but it is fine if it is not your favourite album.
How loud should I play it?
Quietly: about as loud as a calm conversation. Cats hear much better than we do. Put the speaker near, not next to, where your cat rests, and make sure your cat can walk away from it.
Does it keep playing when the screen turns off?
Keep this page open. Use "Dim screen" to turn the page black while the music plays and keep the device awake; double-tap to bring it back. Some phones pause web audio when locked.
Can it help an anxious cat?
It may help, as part of a calm setup: a hiding place, a familiar blanket, and quiet. Studies found lower stress scores at the vet with cat-specific music, but effects are modest. If your cat is often anxious, hiding or not eating, talk to your vet.
Is it the David Teie album?
No. We studied the features that research found cats respond to (purring, cat-range notes, slow slides) and wrote our own music generator. None of that album is used.
Which mood should I try first?
Start with Purrs and Trills. For naps and bedtime, try Deep Purr; for a curious, awake cat, try Chirps and Chitter. Every cat is different, so watch which one yours settles to.