A cat owner creates a personalized music playlist for their cat, Tomlin, to enjoy, reflecting a mix of songs that resonate with feline preferences and playful themes.
Abstract
The article details the creation of a unique music playlist by an author for their cat, Tomlin, who is frequently exposed to the owner's music choices. Recognizing that Tomlin might appreciate a selection of songs tailored to his tastes, the owner curates a playlist featuring over two dozen tracks. These songs range from 1980s hits to modern pop, all chosen based on Tomlin's reactions and the lyrical or thematic relevance to cats. The playlist includes hits like "Puss 'n Boots" by Adam Ant and "What's New, Pussycat?" by Tom Jones, among others that either have a connection to cats or simply appeal to Tomlin's mysterious feline sensibilities. The author humorously notes Tomlin's reactions to various songs and the rationale behind their inclusion, emphasizing the joy that music brings to both the cat and his human companions.
Opinions
The author believes that their cat, Tomlin, has distinct music preferences and that he enjoys listening to music designed for him.
Tomlin's behavior, such as biting when certain songs are played repeatedly, is interpreted as a sign of his musical tastes and a call for a more cat-friendly playlist.
The author suggests that other cat owners might consider creating a similar playlist for their pets, implying that cats can appreciate and respond to music in a meaningful way.
The author playfully anthropomorphizes Tomlin, attributing human-like thoughts and actions to him, such as making jokes or having a favorite song.
The author values the emotional connection with their cat, as evidenced by the inclusion of songs that reflect their love for Tomlin and the bond they share.
There is an underlying opinion that music is a universal language that can bridge the gap between humans and animals, fostering a shared experience of enjoyment and companionship.
A Music Playlist for My Cat
Because he’s probably tired of listening to me and my wife’s music all the time
My wife Lisa and I listen to a lot of music at home. Because we do, our cat Tomlin is pretty much forced to listen to whatever we have on.
By the way, since most of this story is about him, you should probably see what he looks like.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Tomlin:
Image source: the author
And this is him with his pet llama, Dolly Llama:
I’m not sure what Tomlin was thinking here, but it may have been, “Don’t touch Dolly Llama!” Image source: the author
When my wife is listening to music, it’s usually a mixture of oldies from the 1960s and modern pop music. She’s got fantastic taste and Tomlin seems quite happy listening to whatever she’s playing.
On the other hand, there’s my music.
Because I work from home, Tomlin and I are together a lot. During those times, I almost always have music on. While I think he enjoys most of what I listen to, I do occasionally catch him giving me dirty looks when I play the same songs or albums over and over again.
In fact, he bit me the last time I had on a 5-hour-long playlist of songs from the 1980s!
Sure, it may have been just a coincidence and he could have been biting me for some other reason, but I think he may have been trying to tell me something there.
Because I want my cat to be happy, and also because I want to avoid being bit in the future, I created a playlist of songs specifically for him.
Tomlin has listened to it twice already and I have very good news to report here — he absolutely loves it!
Not only has he not bitten me yet, but I caught him dancing and purring along to a few of the songs.
If you have a feline friend, you may want to consider sharing my special “cat songs” playlist with him or her. The entire list, featuring over two dozen songs, can be found near the bottom of this piece.
But before we get to that, Tomlin asked me to share his Top 13 favorite songs from the playlist with all of you.
Since he asked nicely, here they are:
13. Puss ‘n Boots — Adam Ant
Tomlin may not like all of the music I listen to from the 1980s, but he loves Adam Ant. He’s a good boy.
Tomlin, that is — not Adam Ant. Of course, Adam may be a good boy also, but I don’t know him well enough to say that for sure.
12. U Can’t Touch This — MC Hammer
When we have company over and they want to pet Tomlin, he usually refuses and doesn’t let them touch him. There are also times when we want to pick him up to give him a little hug — but no, he suddenly becomes hardheaded — and we can’t touch him either!
He’s a very cool and very loving cat, but he definitely likes to be affectionate on his own terms.
11. Black Cat — Janet Jackson
Even though he loves “Black Cat,” Tomlin only likes to listen to half of it when it plays. I’m not sure of his exact reasoning for that, but since he’s half a white cat, I bet it’s his little way of making a joke about being only half a black cat.
10. Vegas — Doja Cat
Although he hasn’t seen the ELVIS movie yet, Tomlin loves this song. I suppose it has something to do with ‘Cat’ being half of the singer’s name.
Plus, my cat is no dummy. He knows Elvis Presley was awesome.
9. Stray Cat Strut — The Stray Cats
For the first month or so of his life, Tomlin was a stray cat himself. I’m not sure how much strutting he did back then, but I bet it was a lot. The boy sure loves to strut a lot now!
8. Dog Eat Dog — AC/DC
Tomlin’s an indoor cat, so he never has any actual face-to-face dealings with dogs. However, when he looks out our windows and sees them, he doesn’t look very happy. If all of the dogs in the world ate each other and they all disappeared, Tomlin would probably be okay with that.
7. Feed Me — Levi Stubbs, Rick Moranis, and Various Artists
This is currently Tomlin’s favorite song on the playlist. Judging from how frequently he wakes me and Lisa up in the middle of the night and demands to be fed, I’m not at all surprised that he loves this one so much.
6. I Go To Sleep — The Pretenders
And what’s an easy thing to do after eating? Sleeping, of course!
Then again, cats don’t need food to help them fall asleep, do they? And they certainly get plenty of rest! On average, cats sleep 16–20 hours per day.
Frankly, I’m jealous of all of them.
5. Strut — Sheena Easton
Yes, Tomlin and I already included a song with “strut” in its title here, but darn it, Tomlin really loves to strut!
In fact, he loves it so much that there’s one other song called “Strut” (by Adam Lambert) on the playlist.
Great news for music lovers and strutters everywhere!
4. Watermelon Sugar — Harry Styles
What does this song have to do with cats? Well, nothing at all.
However, my cat loves, loves, loves eating watermelon! Therefore, I thought he’d love, love, love this song.
And he does — almost as much as he loves eating the “pink meat.” That’s what we call the watermelon when we offer it to him.
Yes, that’s very silly, but don’t blame me and my wife. Dolly Llama is the one who came up with it.
3. I Love You Always Forever — Donna Lewis
Even though this song isn’t about cats, it’s a lot about love.
I’m sure Tomlin hears me and Lisa, multiple times each day, tell each other how much we love each other — and how we plan on doing it forever.
I’m sure he also understands us when we tell him, multiple times each day, how much we love him. And Lisa and I can both see, in Tomlin’s eyes, that he feels the same way about us.
Love. Always and forever.
So, yes. I think this song fits perfectly on the list.
2. Cool For Cats — Squeeze
This is one of my favorite songs from Squeeze. I think it’s a very fun and cool choice for a very fun and cool cat.
1. What’s New, Pussycat? — Tom Jones
This song is a little silly — and also a little bit naughty.
More importantly, it contains great vocals and very groovy music.
What’s not to love about it, right? It’s an all-around fun song!
This pussycat seems to dig it…
Image source: the author (featuring images from Spotify & Decca Music Group Limited)
Here’s my complete playlist on Spotify. If you and your cat(s) listen to it, I hope you enjoy it!
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