I just got a cat, and when I pull out the flute she hightails it under the bed. It's pretty funny. When I lived with parents, we had 2 dogs. One ignored the flute playing, but the other would howl. Even to this day, when I play around that dog, he still howls when I play in the 3rd octave or when I play runs or anything fast.

What are some of the funny reactions your pets have to the flute?

My cat will run to the room i'm in whenever he hears me start practicing. He acts like he's fascinated by the flute and I have to be careful not to set my flute in my lap or he'll come over and try to chew on the headjoint!

My cat's ok with flute practice, but runs through the house and out the catflap in about 1 second if he hears piccolo!

I know that this is for a clarinet, but one of my mom's friend's son, whenever he practices the clarinet, the dog howls with him.

My dog ignores my flute playing but whenever I play pic or clarinet she just stares at the instrument like it's totally strange to her. When I started to learn french horn, she would start frantically ringing her bell to go outside. Lucky for her I gave up horn.

My cat HATES flute playing. She doesn't mind my clarinet playing. Just like said in another post, my cat runs into another room when she even sees the flute. Even when it is motionless on the couch while I am looking something up on the web or whatnot.

-Dennis

I have 2 dogs, Stella and Solly, and they both absolutely DISPISE my flute playing, not even mentioning piccolo.

They both run to the nearest door and BEG to get let out. It was ok the first couple of times when I first started playing, they were fascinated, and now they're just plain terrified.

My dog loves music and actually lays at my feet on the stage every week at band rehearsal. She is an angel. She does like to give my flute a lick when I put it on the flute stand every now and then.

My cats never leave me alone if I am playing the flute or not, so they just want to be with me and could care less what I am doing.

The bunnies on the other hand seem to like it and I have one that likes to flop down and stick her back feet out next to me when I play. None of them seem to mind the piccolo much either, but I try not to practice it too near them so that I don't hurt their ears.

Blossom (aka crazy bunny with the big ears) does love to shred my music, so I do have to try and keep it off the floor. She had a good time shredding a Bach piece yesterday. Good thing it was a copy. Lol!

<Added>

I should also add the my dog does not like the Clarinet section at all, but LOVES the sax and percussion section.

I used to have 2 cats. Benjie and Sally (my mother's cat-reincarnated tame daughter that she never really had actually).

Benjie did not mind me practicing at all until I started on the third octave. He would scratch the window, which I always close when I practice as he would try to get out through it and plunge 6 floors down (and to keep the neighbor happy too). Sally on the other hand is tame at all register. She would just sit and watch. One time I caught her yawning. I consider this a better reaction than the highly anxious window-scratching of Benjie.

My mother adopted Benjie and left Sally behind, but she always try to sharpen her claws with my flute case. Second, no one's staying behind for her when I go to work so she ended up in my mother's house. However, I share custody with my mom and weekends are my days with them.

I once had a roommate who had a couple of cats, every time I practice harmonics they would run up the walls..funny, doesn't work with my goldfish

I used to have a budgie (maysherestinpeace) who used to love it when I played the flute. Used to squawk and whistle at the top of her little lungs as soon as I'd start playing. Always nice to have an appreciative audience.

Mind you, cute as it was, it made recording anything just about impossible.

Mike.

our dogs have always loved when my wife played keyboards, they considered this a mandatory requirement for every day. they'd find the most comfy spot as near as possible. if my wife was sick, i had to step up to the plate and take over, her playing was preferred. neither dog seemed the least bit interested in guitar music. we only have one dog now. our dog now paid no mind to the harmonica. when i learned to play the irish whistle, she'd politely and quietly get up and move to the farthest corner of the house. i play better now so she'll hang out unless i squawk a note. i'm learning the irish flute now and she loves this instrument as much as the keyboard and goes into absolute bliss when we play a duet. live music is preferred to canned music.

thanks for replying guys, i found all of your posts quite funny - especially the cat clawing the back, the bird singing along and dog who hates clarinets. animals are so funny.

I housesat for some people who hat 2 cats, and 2 dogs -a lab and a corgi. all were initially intrigued by the flute but quickly grew oblivious, except for the lab. he would stay and listen, but bark at baroque music, especially bach.

My cat hates the sound of the flute and once, when i was playing sitting down, strolled up to me, climbed on to my lap and very carefully placed her paw on my lips. If she could have said SSSSSHHH I'm sure she would. She did like to lie on the piano when I played and if I played something she didn't like she would walk behind the music stand and drag the music off with her teeth. I can't tell you how many sheets of music she's eaten.

when i play a low c on the flute my dog goes and hides