It’s a common kindness among pet owners to leave their fur babies some kind of background noise whenever they’re gone for extended periods of time. It’s such a popular practice that YouTube and Spotify have dedicated playlists for soothing and stimulating pets while we’re away doing human things. And hey, if it eases our guilt in the process, that’s a win-win.

But do our pets actually appreciate this gesture in the way we hope? The only accurate answer is, of course, that it depends—not only on which species we’re dealing with, such as cats vs. dogs, but also on the genre of music.

Dogs might really dig soft tunes

One United Kingdom-based behavioral study found that, for dogs at least, classical music produced a calming effect. Of the two other genres tested, heavy metal had, perhaps unsurprisingly, an agitating effect, while pop had no observable effect. Sorry, Britney Spears.

Interestingly, a CD playing a human conversation also seemed to have no effect. Of course.

However, another study that used heart monitors to measure the effect different styles of music had on dogs’ heart rates suggested that, like humans, dogs have individual music preferences. In this study, reggae and soft rock “showed the highest positive changes.” One thing to consider, though, is that different breeds of dogs have different resting heart rates, which might influence how they respond to certain styles of music.

Naturally, cats prefer music made just for cats

@lemmemakebiscuits I had to check it out for myself. Needless to say it’s going to be on her personal playlist. #davidteie #cattok #musicforcat ♬ original sound – Lemme

I had to check it out for myself. Needless to say it’s going to be on her personal playlist. #davidteie #cattok #musicforcat ♬ original sound – Lemme

Moving on to cats. While there are far fewer feline-centric studies, the data at first glance might suggest that they aren’t quite as musically inclined as their canine counterparts.

Of course, this could be because cats are more attuned to certain frequencies, making what they “hear” very different from what is experienced by dog or human ears. Researchers who relied heavily on music that fell within a cat’s preferred frequency range found that cats reacted significantly more positively to it than to classical music. Some even rubbed up against the speaker—the ultimate sign of cat approval.

Fun fact: that special cat music, composed by David Teie, was turned into an album that can be purchased here.

As for television shows, the general consensus is that rather than providing entertainment, they serve as a source of comforting familiarity for pets. However, there aren’t enough studies to confirm this either way. And considering what we’ve already mentioned about responses to certain frequencies, it stands to reason that most human shows don’t necessarily register in the same way. Of course, we’ve all seen how dogs react to episodes of Bluey, so…

@oakleys.big.adventures His sit and little tail wags 😭😭😭😭 #bluey #dogcolors #blueyshow #goldensoftiktok ♬ original sound – kel

His sit and little tail wags 😭😭😭😭 #bluey #dogcolors #blueyshow #goldensoftiktok ♬ original sound – kel

And if these things mask unpleasant outside noises—like fireworks, horns, planes, etc.—that might otherwise cause anxiety, then perhaps that’s all the benefit pet owners need.

At the end of the day, leaving on music or TV might be less about creating the perfect enrichment experience and more about offering a little comfort—to both our pets and ourselves—while we’re away. Some animals may completely ignore it. Others may perk up at a familiar voice or settle down when soft music starts playing. A lot of figuring that out comes from attentively and lovingly observing how your fur babies respond as individuals. Luckily, that’s a task most pet owners will gladly take on.

While a bottle of bubbles might seem out of place in a hospital setting, you might be surprised to learn that, for thousands of children around the world born with cleft lip and palate, they can be a helpful tool in comprehensive cleft care. Lilia, who was born with cleft lip and palate in 2020, is one of the many patients who received this care. 

As a toddler, Lilia underwent two surgeries to treat cleft lip and palate with Operation Smile’s surgical program in Puebla, Mexico. Because of Operation Smile’s comprehensive care, it wasn’t long before her personality transformed: Lilia went from a quiet and withdrawn toddler to an exuberant, curious explorer, babbling, expressing herself with a variety of sounds, and engaging with others like any child her age. 

Lilia is now a healthy five-year-old, with the same cheerful attitude and boundless energy. Her progress is the result of care at every level, from surgery to speech therapy to ongoing support at home—but it’s also evidence that small, sustained interventions throughout it all can make a meaningful difference. 

Cleft Conditions: A Global Problem

Since 1982, Operation Smile has provided cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to more than 500,000 patients worldwide with the help of generous volunteers and donors. Cleft conditions are congenital conditions, meaning they are present at birth. With cleft lip and palate, the lip or the roof of the mouth do not form fully during fetal development. Cleft conditions put children at risk for malnutrition and poor weight gain, since their facial structure can make feeding challenging. But cleft conditions can have an enormous social impact as well: Common difficulties with speech can leave kids socially isolated and unable to meet the same developmental milestones as their peers. 

Surgery is a vital step in treating cleft conditions, but it’s also just one part of a much larger solution. Organizations like Operation Smile emphasize the importance of multi-disciplinary teams that provide comprehensive, long-term care to patients across many years. This approach, which includes oral care, speech therapy, nutritional support, and psychosocial care, not only aids in physical recovery from surgery but also helps children develop the skills and confidence to eat easily, speak clearly, and engage in everyday life. This ensures that each patient receives the full range of support they need to thrive. 

A Playful (and Powerful) Solution

Throughout a patient’s care, simple tools like bubbles can play a meaningful role from start to finish. 

Immediately before surgery, children are often in a new and unfamiliar environment far from home, some of them experiencing a hospital setting for the first time. When care providers or loved ones blow bubbles, it’s a simple yet effective technique: Not only are the children soothed and distracted, the bubbles also help create a sense of joy and playfulness that eases their anxiety. 

In speech therapy, bubbles can take on an even more important role. Blowing bubbles requires controlled airflow, as well as the ability to form a rounded “O” shape with the lips, which are skills that children with cleft conditions may struggle to develop. Practicing these skills with bubbles allows children to gently strengthen their facial muscles, improve breath control, and support the motor skills needed for speech development. Beyond that, blowing bubbles can help kids connect with their parents or providers in a way that’s playful, comforting, and accessible even for very young patients. 

Finally, bubbles often follow patients with cleft conditions home in the “smile bags” that each patient receives when the surgical procedure is finished. Smile bags, which help continue speech therapy outside of the hospital setting, can contain language enrichment booklets, a mirror, oxygen tubing, and bubbles. While regular practice with motor skills can help with physical recovery, small acts of play help as well, giving kids space to simply enjoy themselves and join in on what peers are able to do.

Bubbles at Home and Beyond

Today, because of Operation Smile’s dedication to comprehensive cleft care, Lilia is now able to make friends and speak clearly, all things that could have been difficult or impossible before. Instead of a childhood defined by limitation, Lilia—and others around the world—can look forward to a childhood filled with joy, learning, discovery, friends, and new possibilities.  

CTA: Lilia’s life was changed for the better with the care she received through Operation Smile. Find out how you can make an impact in other children’s lives by visiting operationsmile.org today. 

Cats are known for being unique little weirdos. They also really like predictability and routine. That combo of being routine-oriented while also individually quirky makes for some highly entertaining daily habits.

Those daily habits can be extremely specific, as evidenced by one cat owner’s “Q-tip jail” TikTok video. “Note for pet sitter,” the overlay text from @nothoughtsjustsushi reads, “bedtime routine includes putting him in jail, and the prisoner gets one Q-tip nightly.”

The “putting him in jail” part means pinning the cat between two open doors. The human then slips a Q-tip through the crack between the doors as the kitty “prisoner” eagerly grabs it. Seriously quirky:

@nothoughtsjustsushi And he’ll scream if you skip it #cattok #fyp ♬ original sound – Bonkers

And he’ll scream if you skip it #cattok #fyp

As weird as this is, it’s not much weirder than the many other examples cat owners and pet sitters shared in the comments:

“As a pet sitter I once had a client tell me I needed to pretend to water her cat or else she’ll yowl and scream at me😭 the cat even had her own plant pot she’d be in when I started to do my rounds of watering.”

“Explaining to the pet sitter my cat needs her alone tub time but DO NOT turn on the water. She just likes to sit in there, unbothered.”

“My cat will scream at me when I go in my room until I lay on the bathroom floor and let her loaf ✨next to me✨. That’s it, that’s her favorite thing.”

“Mine likes to sing in the bathtub for the resonance. And it has to be a bath tub! She doesn’t do it if it’s just a shower stall. It’s something we look for in an apartment now, very important.”

@kuzcopluscleo he has a routine #cats #catdad #kuzcoskorner #cabinetkitty #funnycats ♬ original sound – DIRTVision

he has a routine #cats #catdad #kuzcoskorner #cabinetkitty #funnycats

“Mine has to sing the song of her people before we lay down at night. It basically consists of her walking a lap around the house howling to oblivion. Only then will she hop in bed and go to sleep.”

“My cat will only sit on the couch with me if I put a blanket over her. She does not want to be seen, but she wants to hang out.”

“When I had my cat, every morning before work I would put on eyeliner. One morning I pretend put eyeliner on her and told her “all done so pretty” and it BECAME routine. She would promptly sit by the mirror and Scream if I forgot to do it, or until it was done.”

@yesitsjess98 Our morning routine. Don’t judge my voice, she’s my baby. 😅🥰#catsoftiktok #morningroutine #cat ♬ original sound – yesitsjess98

Our morning routine. Don’t judge my voice, she’s my baby. 😅🥰#catsoftiktok #morningroutine #cat

“My cat loves raw asparagus. He will stand in front of the fridge and yell at me until I figured out what he wanted. He plays with it like prey, then he eats it.”

“My sister’s cat gets........

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