I Wondered the Same Thing…

Is my house too loud for my cat? Is my TV too loud, my music too booming, or when I laugh does it sound to my cats like I’m speaking through a megaphone?

Written by Cat Behaviorist Rita Reimers

How Household Sounds Affect Cats

Have you ever watched your cat’s ears twitch during a loud movie or wondered whether your TV, Alexa, or even a fan sounds much louder to them than it does to you? If you’re wondering if your house too loud for your cat and bad for his well being, please read on.

I found myself asking that very question recently.

Hearing tolerance levels are not easy to measure. Like many cat parents, I’ve seen those images online comparing human vision to feline vision. They always make me wonder what the world looks like through a cat’s eyes.

But what about an audio comparison cat-to-human for hearing? The way I imagine it, it would play a sound for us the way humans hear it, then also play little clip of what that same noise might sound like to a cat.

Then I wouldn’t have to wonder:

• What does my television sound like to my cats?
• Does Alexa sound different to them?
• Is my fan louder than I realize?
• Do they really like Music for Cats??

I would know for sure without guessing. But since we don’t have a way to directly hear what a cat might perceive, let’s look at how cats hear and what makes sounds different from what we hear.

Feline Hearing Superpowers

What might make your house too loud for your cat are his supersonic ears. Cats hear approximately three times better than humans. They can also detect a much wider range of sounds, especially high-frequency sounds that are completely inaudible to us.

Their incredible hearing helps them locate tiny prey, such as mice rustling through leaves, but it also means they may notice noises we never even realize are there.

What makes their hearing so different?

Ultrasonic Sound Range: While human hearing typically ranges from about 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, cats can detect frequencies reaching roughly 64,000 to 85,000 Hz. This expanded hearing range allows them to hear tiny, high-pitched sounds made by prey and other noises we never notice.

Rotating Ears: Also, cat’s ear are able to rotate 180 degrees. Each ear has 32 muscles that allow cats to pinpoint the exact source of a noise.

Distance Locator: What makes cats such good hunters is they can also determine how far away the source of a noise is from them. They can hear four to five times farther away than humans.

Now, Imagine Your Cat’s Auditory World

Imagine that you are listening to your favorite television show while also hearing the faint buzz of electronics, distant birds outside, tiny movements in the walls, and every rustle happening around you. Annoying, right? That’s a little closer to the world many cats experience. Except for them, the way they hear is engineered for their survival.

This is what started thinking about my own cats.

Larry and the Living Room TV

When Formerly Feral Larry came to live with me, you might recall he was very slow to warm up to me. Once he did, he started exploring the reset of the house and whichever room I happened to be in. However, when it came to the living room area and my large 55″ TV, Larry was clearly perplexed.

Larry would dart in and out of the room, sometimes stopping to take a quick look at the screen as if he was trying to figure out what exactly he was experiencing. I could almost see the thought bubbles over his head: “Are these real people, are they coming to try to touch me, are those dogs on the screen going to eat me, WHAT was that loud noise??” Then he would hurry back to the safety of my bedroom to be with with his cat friends.

As it became clear he wanted to be in the living room with me, he started to get braver around the television but he was clearly still bothered by it.

Then one day I tried something different. As he looked up at the screen, I muted the sound. Larry stayed. I slowly increased the volume, just a little at a time.

Once Larry realized that nothing scary was happening and that he was safe, his body language relaxed as he watched. He seemed to almost shrug as he decided the danger he perceived was actually no danger at all.

Today he happily curls up on my lap while I watch television, although I still notice his ears will swivel during particularly loud scenes. When that happens, I turn the volume down for him.

Interestingly, my bedroom television never bothered him at all. I think it’s because that TV is mounted higher on the wall, it’s also smaller, plus I don’t play it nearly as loud.

Is Your House Too Loud for Your Cat? Maybe Not.

My experience with Larry reminded me that every cat is an individual and may react differently to the same sounds. For example, my Sweetie Pie loves curling up next to my Alexa Dot device, especially if it’s playing soft music.

Jett comes running whenever Alexa starts talking (is he waiting for her to say it’s dinnertime perhaps?). Other cats in my household couldn’t care less about the surrounding noise, unless its the sound of the can opener. Then they are all ears!

So rather than assume a sound or volume level is bothering your cat, watch his body language first:

• Does your cat leave the room when a device turns on? Remember the ultrasonic range.
• Does his ears constantly rotate toward the sound? His rotating ears locate the sound and it’s distance away.
• Or is he relaxed enough to stay, nap, groom, or even play?  This is what you want to see.

Your cat’s behavior will often tell you much more than the volume setting on your television.

A House Not too Loud is Just Right

As cat parents, we sometimes forget that our homes sound very different to our cats than they do to us. This doesn’t mean we have to keep our home a quiet as can be, never enjoy our music loud or play action movies in surround sound.

We simply need to pay attention to our cats and their little reactions, and adjust accordingly at times. Our cats and their reactions can help us create a calmer, more comfortable environment for our felines friends.

After all, our cats are experiencing the same home we are… just through a very different set of ears.