Music and Cats / Book of Abstracts - Catalog - Page 16
Abstracts
Panel 3: Cats as Listeners
13:20 – 13:35
Sounds of the Seaside
A Multi-Species Sonic Ethnography of a Cat Colony
on the Costa del Sol
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Kristine Hill / University of Hradec Králové
Tourism along the Costa del Sol, Spain, is built
around the classic ‘sun and sea’ style budget
holidays and a culture of British migrants. My
focus is on the cultural interactions between a
colony of cats and human residents and tourists.
The Torremolinos promenade is home to between
40-50 cats. Some are patrons of specific bars or
restaurants, while others have taken up residence
in the caves along the cliff face. Many of these cats
are human-friendly, with some even jumping onto
the laps of strangers. Although I originally set out
to record feline vocalization as part of my field
notes, I soon realized there is so much more to the
soundscape of my field site. In this paper I present
a multi-species sonic ethnography that includes
the sounds of the sea and the music and activities
of humans.
Walking along the promenade at different times of
the day or night the ocean is a constant, but most
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prominent in the early hours just before dawn
when the human-associated noise is less.
During the day and evening the voices of
children playing, adults partying, and families
chattering in multiple languages dominate.
Nostalgic tracks of the 1980s and 1990s
emanate from the bars and restaurants.
Musicians busk along the promenade, and the
cats are very much part of the scene. One
elderly female cat loves to lay in the sun
watching the world go by. As I sit quietly next
to her she appears to enjoy the late afternoon
music and a couple of the musicians remember
her being a fan of their music going back many
years. Whether or not cats can appreciate
human music seems to be largely unexplored
academically, and anecdotal accounts suggest
some do and others not. Perhaps music
resonates more with cats who seek out human
companionship?
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