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I love instruments. I currently play piano and trumpet, and practice every day; 1 hour for piano, 30 minutes for trumpet, each day.

My cat seems to love piano, always purrs and relaxes as I play it. When I play the trumpet, however, my cat meows very loudly at me - which is very abnormal for him, as he is generally a quiet, cuddly cat.

I was wondering if he is trying to tell me something. Does the trumpet affect his hearing? If so, what can I do to help him? Please consider the fact that I am most certainly not going to quit playing the trumpet. I would really like to know whether someone has the answer.

Thank you so much.

2 Answers 2

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Loud noises certainly could damage a cat's hearing, but if the cat is staying there meowing at you rather than heading for the far end of the house, that probably isn't what he is trying to tell you. Maybe he just thinks that when you are loud he is supposed to be loud too. Maybe it's just "Don't play with that, play with me!" Maybe he thinks the noise means you are unhappy and he's worried about you.

If you're worried about him, could you practice with a mute, or does that change the trumpet's response too much?

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  • That would very much change the Trumpet's response. This is a great answer, thank you. Apr 3, 2016 at 18:06
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Sustained and/or repeated loud noises can indeed damage a cat's hearing, but a trumpet is not loud enough to do it. Don't take up the drums too, though.

Unlike us dumb humans, cats do not enjoy dangerously loud sounds or willingly expose themselves to such. If a sound hurts or otherwise scares them, they will obey their instincts to get as far away from it as they can. If your cat doesn't run, it's not hurting him.

The meowing is likely simple annoyance, though it could be him trying to sing a duet. Did you give him the music for his part?

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