Last week I wrote about music and pets and then listed a couple of resources. There are actually some more that I didn’t have the time to include so here they are.
In my last post you saw music for pets and music for birds but these specialty products are rare.
Even so, I found another cat specific composition called Cat-a-tonic. This selection consists of acoustic guitar, jazz, rap and other genres with unique lyrics related to felines instead of instrumentals.
Very amusing and unique collection–my favorite? “Kittie knows more that I do” cracked me up.
Through a Dog’s Ear: Music to Calm Your Canine Companion, Volume 1
is the companion CD to the interesting book released this year called Through a Dog’s Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health & Behavior of Your Canine Companion. 
I wrote about the scientific studies related to music for animals in the first post in this series and if you are interested in the topic I urge you to read this book.
It looks like the group will be releasing a series of music for a variety of uses such as this Music to Calm Your Dog in the Car which also comes with a booklet.
I really enjoy listening to this music for pets selection. If you are interested, you can also purchase individual music for dog compositions and listen to excerpts here.
I like to listen to classical music or instrumentals when I am working. It is also what I recommend for most of my clients who have noise phobia or anxiety issues. So when I found Dog Gone Classical Music: Mozart it immediately captured my interest.
Plus, how could you resist the cover photo?
I have not listened to this compact disk yet so if you have be sure to leave a comment below and let me know what your impressions are.
The Pet Music people have produced a variety of compact disks with music for pets.
The one to your left provides over three hours of music.
Pet Music combines instrumentals with nature sounds for each of their products.
They have two volumes out for separation anxiety and stress Creature Comforts and Just Chillin.
In addition, they have a title called Soul Mates which is specifically titled for when you leave your companion home alone.
Laurel Canyon Animal Company has produced a variety of musical CDs.
Although they are not my cup of tea, some find them 
upbeat compositions. Each track includes vocals–but they seem to be more for people than for animals.
You can listen to a sampling from a couple of the collections here.
Titles include Songs to Make Dogs Happy, Music from the Pink Dolphins, Koko, Fine Animal Gorilla, and the seasonal Bring an Animal Home for the Holidays. Finally, if you can figure out I’m a Green Chicken–let me know!
Okay, this list wouldn’t be complete without a few dog songs for people–I just happened to find a few in my search for music for dogs.
The first is a collection of Dog Songs put together by Disney. Then The Dog: Silly Songs is available with a collections of songs related to certain breeds.
Finally, you gotta have Doggone Country: Favorite Songs About Dogs.
You can listen to a few of the Doggone Country selections here.
Will a cat suffocate a baby?
Above: Photo of baby and cat courtesy of the NobodyCallsMeThatBlog.
I recently got a call from HM (handsome man aka my significant other) because his pal’s wife had tossed the cats outside since they have a newborn. She was worried that the cats would hurt their newborn and he was wondering if that was a realistic threat.
Unfortunately this is not an isolated case of such behavior. Pregnancy forums spread rumors of cats suffocating babies and the risk of toxoplasmosis from cat litter boxes on a regular basis.
The problem is that people spread the rumors quickly without checking the facts.
Over the years members of the feline race have been blamed for cases of crib death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). However, I don’t know of any substantiation to back it up.
I found one reference to The Annual Register in January, 1791 cited at the Messy Beast where an eighteen month old was reported by the coroner “to have died “in consequence of a cat sucking its breath.”
Hmm, 1791 Plymouth–not the most sophisticated of times–and sucking its breath?
Puh-lease.
A more recent warning appeared in You and Your Cat by David Taylor (published in 1986).
The reality of the situation is that suffocation is a serious danger because infants are not coordinated nor strong enough to push an animal away if it climbs onto its face or chest.
To prevent such problems animals and kids should always be supervised. Simple steps? Close doors, temporarily install screen doors indoors, or use Baby Safety Netting or Baby Infant Stroller Crib Nets to keep critters out of the infant’s sleeping areas and their strollers.