A cat by the name of Bea has developed an adorable habit of curling up next to her owner's phone to listen to Taylor Swift.
Scientific studies have shown that cats do enjoy music, albeit with one fairly significant caveat. For the pets to enjoy music, it must be attuned to their specific feline sensibilities, according to research published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science. Essentially, cat music needs to fit in with how felines communicate, for example, the same tempo or frequency by which they meow to each other.
Researchers reached this conclusion after playing cats a selection of songs, some of which had been made with those feline parameters in mind. In almost every instance, the cats favored the feline-friendly sounds.
All of which begs the question, is Taylor Swift making music for cats as well as humans? That's certainly the implication if the videos shared to TikTok under the handle beathecat are to be believed.
In one June 7 video watched 3.8 million times on the social-media platform, Bea can be seen curled up on a bed listening to Swift's "My Tears Ricochet."
Bea appears completely at peace with the music, much to the delight of the singer's fanbase, known colloquially as "Swifties". They have been lapping up the reaction in the comments section.
"This is me," one wrote, with another user commenting simply: "Same." A third, meanwhile, posted: "relate." Elsewhere, a fourth added: "a video has never represented me more."
Evidently eager to show this is not a one-off, the user uploaded a second video to TikTok on June 8, showing Bea listening to another Swift track "The Archer."
Once again, the glowing comments came thick and fast. "She's just like us," one viewer wrote, while another posted more poetically: "I am this. This is me. It is I." A third, meanwhile, commented, "she's going through it," with a fourth adding: "Taylor would love this."
Having starred in the less-than-stellar film version of Cats, it would appear Swift is well on her way to garnering a new feline fanbase. If the singer's looking to win over more cat fans, she could also do worse than enlisting the talents of one feline. The pet went viral in March 2022 after being caught on camera playing an impressive tune on their owner's guitar, using only their teeth.
It's not just cats either. Earlier this year, a rescue dog found roaming the streets of Las Vegas made headlines after giving birth to nine puppies who each ended up being named after Swift songs. For that week, at least, she was the Queen of Pup.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
