Squeal Award: Pampering cats costs millions, fur real. 

Beethoven probably didn’t have his furry feline in mind when he composed “Fur Elise,” but government-funded research has discovered that classical music can make even grumpy cats purr.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported ten different cat studies—funded from grants totaling $1.3 MILLION of your money—that concluded classical music has an effect on cat behaviors. For example, a study found that after playing classical music for cats every day, they were less likely to poop outside of the litter box or cough up hairballs. 

Yes, that’s right. Ten studies, just like this one, funded by YOU, the TAXPAYER. 

In one study, researchers observed and compared the behaviors of healthy and chronically ill cats in both pampered and “unpredictable situations.” Can we guess the results? Yep, a pampered cat shows fewer signs of sickness while the “unpredictable situations” caused the cats to freak out. 

The cat’s meow: Cats that are pampered are less likely to cough up hairballs or poop outside the litter box.

And not to worry! NIH supported a much-needed follow-up study to see how cats reacted when the pampering included receiving daily toys, treats and “auditory enrichment,” specifically, the CD: The Best of Vivaldi. The conclusion? When the pampering ended, cats would refuse food, cough up hairballs or choose not to use the litter box.

In addition to these ten cat studies being pointless, they don’t comply with a law requiring disclosure of the cost to taxpayers for a federally funded project. That’s why I’m asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to find out why NIH studies are refusing to disclose the cost of these studies. We must ensure your hard-earned money isn’t being wasted on studies like this!

These cat studies are yet another example of taxpayer dollars being tossed around like a “ball of yarn.” For this reason, I’ve awarded this month’s meow, I mean squeal, award to the National Institutes of Health!

Do you have an example of government waste or inefficiencies that I should take a look at? Send me an email by clicking here.

Thank you!