# Do cats like white noise? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-white-noise/387874 "2007-01-13T22:33:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-white-noise/387874/1 "2007-01-13T22:33:23Z")
My husband got one of those sound machines that make noises like waves, or rain, or thunder. We generally use the “rain” setting. It seems our cats are more likely to sleep in the bedroom when we have the machine on. It could be coincidence. Is it possible that cats also are soothed by the sound of rain produced by one of these machines? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-white-noise/387874/2 "2007-01-13T23:37:27Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] My husband got one of those sound machines that make noises like waves, or rain, or thunder. We generally use the “rain” setting. It seems our cats are more likely to sleep in the bedroom when we have the machine on. It could be coincidence. Is it possible that cats also are soothed by the sound of rain produced by one of these machines? [/QUOTE] Been using one for years - the siamese attack kittens don’t seem to mind at all. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-white-noise/387874/3 "2007-01-13T23:51:17Z")
Don’t know about white noise, but I had a cat who learned how to turn on the TV, and would do so before napping after that. I think it was more the heat that the TV gave off then the noise however, as he would nap ontop of the TV. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-white-noise/387874/4 "2007-01-13T23:59:29Z")
One of my cats likes to sit on the air filter, which also makes white noise. I’m not sure if she likes the noise, the breeze, the vibration, or all three. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-white-noise/387874/5 "2007-01-14T01:39:49Z")
Not quite white noise, but possibly related. My brother got a CD with a thunderstorm on it. Our cat would stare distrustfully at the stereo speakers when the thunder took place. She understood that it was thunder, which she didn’t like, but wasn’t quite sure why the sound came out of the speaker. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-white-noise/387874/6 "2007-01-14T01:51:17Z")
We had a kitty who liked to snooze on top of the TV set. Then she discovered hockey, and as she lay on top and looking down at the screen, would try catch the players or the puck with one of her paws. Cute as hell. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-white-noise/387874/7 "2007-01-14T01:51:51Z")
I just tried to generate some white noise by blowing in my cat’s ear. Nope, he didn’t like it. Maybe I need a breath mint.