Tabby Road: An album for cats?

If you've got a musical moggy, this pet project could be right up your street - a CD of songs specifically for cats.

The album, Music For Cats, is the first of its kind to be released by a major record label.

It was put together by musician David Teie, who says he applied "real, scientifically credible" research into his compositions.

According to publisher Universal Music, it will cater to "a largely untapped animal music market".

Teie, a cellist, said he started work on the record after realising that animals could benefit from music just as much as humans.

He added: "I saw how music could calm human beings, so I thought, 'Why not cats?'. I did a huge amount of research myself.

"Every species has an intuitive biological response to sounds in early development. Felines establish their sense of music through sounds heard after they're born - birds chirping, suckling for milk, their mother's purr."

His labour of love began in 2008 when he wrote two songs with Dr Charles Snowdon, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a specialist in animal behaviour and the effect of music on their responses.

The songs had positive reactions from 77 per cent of cats that heard them, after they showed virtually no interest in human music played to them.

In a study published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Dr Snowden said they showed their delight by purring and putting out scent markings.

The album, comprised of five tracks, includes sounds similar to purring, the cello and other "feline-centric sounds" to match cats' hearing frequency range.

Teie said the album, which is released next month, was "kind of like classical" and includes tracks called Katey Moss Catwalk and Tigerlili And Mimi's Mewsical.

Teie, who has played with the US National Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony, and on Metallica's S&M album, said he now wanted to produce music for dogs, and create headphones for horses.