Slashdot Mirror


Cats "Exploit" Humans By Purring

An anonymous reader notes a BBC report on research recently published in the journal Current Biology, indicating that cats manipulate humans by adding a baby-like cry to their purring. "Cat owners may have suspected as much, but it seems our feline friends have found a way to manipulate us humans. Researchers at the University of Sussex have discovered that cats use a 'soliciting purr' to overpower their owners and garner attention and food. Unlike regular purring, this sound incorporates a 'cry,' with a similar frequency to a human baby's. The team said cats have 'tapped into' a human bias — producing a sound that humans find very difficult to ignore."

2 of 503 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Huh??? by Nomaxxx · · Score: 5, Informative

    I have never in my whole life experienced a purr that had ANY recognizable component of "baby cry" in it.

    It's not said that it sounds like a baby cry but only that it's on the same frequency.

  2. Re:Evolution or Intelligent Design? by Daemonax · · Score: 5, Informative

    Natural selection or artificial selection is what you should have titled that.

    Intelligent design is a term used for a fairly specific type of religious sophistry.