Does Your Cat Purr You into Submission?
Dr Karen McComb of the University of Sussex published an interesting study this week. According to her team’s work, cats use a special kind of purr to “entice” their human caregivers into action, namely providing said cats with food and/or attention.
According to the researches, that sound is combined of a purr and a quiet cry at the back of it. It sounds like a purr, but triggers an emotional response in humans akin to that felt towards a baby’s cry. Dr McComb claims this is a learned behavior found among some cats and not others. According to the study, it is more likely to appear in a one-on-one relationship between a human and a feline.
So, has your cat learned how to push your secret baby button yet? Visit us on the forums and let us know there too! You can read more on this study on the BBC website and Discovery Channel’s website.
Edited to add: We now have a thread about this very topic going on the forums- click to read and join the discussion.
September 7th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Hi
Fascinating!
Isn’t there more than just a purr though? There’s closed proximity and rubbing against you.
‘Purchance to dream?’
Are you watching Joanna Lumley’s ‘Catwoman’ documentary?
David
Blog:catamorphosis.wordpress.com