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."

Comments

Huh???

[Jane Q. Public]

I have never in my whole life experienced a purr that had ANY recognizable component of "baby cry" in it. Further, purring does not prompt me to do anything for the cat... with the cats I have known, it has always been a sign that they were already content.

Difficult to ignore?

[Fotograf]

Me actually it would make more angry. No food kitty...

Re:Self domesticated

[Nevyn]

The absolute worst kind of cat owner is the ones that let kitty roam the neighborhood free. That is wrong and incredibly rude. Kiltty can die or get hurt in tons of ways [outside]

The absolute worst kind of parent is the one who doesn't lock their child in the basement. That is wrong and incredibly rude. Children can die or get hurt in tons of ways [outside]

Re:Definitely not evolution - adaptation, maybe

[Whorhay]

True for overly broad definitions of "we" and "us" I'd much rather BBQ the furballs in my house than let them freeload.

Cats aren't friends.

[BitZtream]

They aren't, sorry. A cat considers itself better than you, and in 99 out of a 100 cases of cat owners, the cat IS better than the owner.

Cats manipulate their owners on a regular basis, pretty much their entire lives. The only reason it tolerates you is because its easier than the alternative.

They don't like you, they never will, and the instant they realize you are dead they will proceed to eat you.

Most cat owners think cats can't be trained, this is simply false. Its not that they can't be trained its that their owners are too stupid and the end result is that the cat owner gets trained and the cat does whatever the hell it wants.

Treat a cat the same way you treat a dog and things are a whole different world. Treat a dog the same way you treat a cat and once again, you'll get walked on.

Cats aren't special, 99 out of 100 cat people are simply retarded. Sorry for all of you that this pisses off, but its true. I've never met a cat that couldn't be trained once its retarded owner who would let it do whatever the hell it wanted was out of the picture. Take the pushover owner out of the picture, show the cat you are in charge, not it, and the world changes.

This is roughly the same as children. Ever notice that cat owners with kids also typically have brats for children? Neither the cat nor the child is the problem, the adult is just incapable of commanding respect out of others.