The BBC has a recent article on how kittehs USE and ABUSE their owners into getting WHATEVER they WANT by purring.
Take a listen over at the BBC:
By Victoria Gill, Senior Purring Correspondent, BBC News. Headline of article bequeathed by Ryan T.
I feel so USED
Previous post: Welcome to the C.O. Annual Picnic!
Next post: This Just In: OMG, That Cup’s Huge!
{ 145 comments }
oh yes, but its a nice being used, like your kids!
Old Mews. I can’t believe they spent time (and money, I presume) to arrive at this conclusion.
My dearly departed 20-year old persian had specific meows for his needs: Out, Water (he liked it from the bathtub), time for food. I once picked him up from a day at the vet’s, and when I heard his meow I got up to meet him at the door. A man also waiting laughed and said “Another cat who has trained its person, I see.” So true, so true.
Dogs have masters, Cats have staff.
I can never open BBC News videos :`(
My persian does this while butting you in the face with her nose while your trying to sleep. Also my youngest cat, a tortoiseshell, Purrs and squeaks at the same time and even makes her self cough somtime with the effort. Im not sure what she is trying to achieve there. She is currently curled up on the sofa with her tuxedo cat bf (who doesnt belong to us -.-) They are expecting kittens soon! Congrats them!
I laugh every time I read the articles on this. Those little bastards
Though if you’re only just realizing how true it is.. I feel sorry for you
i thought that was the definition of being a cat.
Hehe I submitted this too! I love that my cat talks to me, it’s funny how specific each mew is for whatever she wants. Perhaps it’s concerning that I often talk back though…
Aw, I submished this one too! Such a funny article, research akin to that ‘ducks like water’ study…well, duh!
Hehe! Cats know exactly what they are doing! The youngest of my three catsis the master of the sweet, innocent meow in order to get treats, while the middle one employs a pathetic, poor-me meow in order to get them. The oldest cat, meanwhile, is too dignified for such behavior and lets the other two do the work. Then ,when the treats are in the bowls, she comes strolling over nonchalantly with a “Hmm, what’s this in my bowl?” attitude.
Thanks Captain(s) Obvious!
Next studies will prove dogs like to run, ferrets are mischievous, and chinchillas sleep alot.
jeesh.
Cute video of purring kitty though.
More proof that cats are scary smart and probably aliens.
@ Ellie – I do that too! But the funniest thing is that my boyfriend, after several years of exposure, and after making fun of me for all that time, is also picking up the habit.
I hadn’t heard that purrrr for so long- as you know, we have a dogget household. I wanted to feed the BBC cat! I love that sound, purring is very soothing to me, not annoying, yes, urgent, but not annoying. I miss the paw in the face treatment…
Congratulations on becoming a cat grandfather Charlie! Tell us when the ‘bundles of joy’ arrive!
I commend the BBC for their command of the obvious.
“Purrsuasion” by Jane Pawsten
Well, duh…
That’s why I never trusted or liked cats.
@Mizzy:
[wide eyed stunned look]
[{{{{{VAPORS}}}}}}}]
I for one welcome our furry overlords.
And their point is…?
LOL I love the look at the food bowl and then up. My kitties do this in the morning too. They are locked in the hallway and bathroom area at night and in the morning they jump at the door and meow.. if I have to use the restroom first, they follow me in and purr soo freakin loud.
If my cat sasha is next to me when I’m on the phone and she purrs, the other person can hear it. But my other cat Misha is different. She doesn’t purr. She stares. When friends come over she has staring contests with them.. lol.. for sisters the really are very different cats…
“Will flirt for food!”
Perhaps the $$ invested in the study, would have been better spent, in researching why us hoomans are so delighted to enable the little guyz/ galz IN their clever ruze …????
Katiedid-yeah, cats love the reverberating sound in the bathroom, it makes them think they are panthers…….puuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrr!
Simon Tofield!
Good gawd! The kitty in the video is the spitting image of my last cat (R.I.P) and he made the exact same urging purring sound when he wanted something. Loved, loved, loved him. All my cats know they have me wrapped around their paws, but that little guy used to somehow know every button to press with me, and I still miss doing his bidding every day.
My cat does the ultra loud purr and then does figure 8’s. Alternating between sticking his butt in my face and rubbing his face on mine. He usually gets what he wants this way.
Yep, very old mews. In Paul Gallico’s magnificent book The Silent Miaow, this is called the “Anticipatory Purr”, if I remember correctly.
My kitty Henry has a very vocal purr. He loves to sleep next to me while purring loudly (just like the kitty in the vid). I sleep with earplugs in, and I can still hear him!
My other kitty, Moo, doesn’t have as loud of a purr, but she has specific meows for everything. My favorite is the “I wanna cuddle” meow she uses usually right when I get out of the shower.
Lol just played this again for my kitty. She looked slightly alarmed at first but then seemed to nod in agreement. BBCat was obviously saying “Jeez you hewmunz take forever to understand and complete one single task!”
Our kitty is a soft purrer. He doesn’t purr to get his way, he meows at us. He’s been doing it more frequently b/c he doesn’t like the food we bought him lol.
As published in the “Duh” Journal of Medicine….
On the same day this same out, another study was published stating that swearing can make you tolerate pain better. (I’m not making this up!)
Something else I’ve noticed about my cat Sasha, is that she has a special spot on the sofa, the arm rest closest to the tv, that she loves. If a remote or game controller is sitting there she will, over the course of a few minutes, nudge it off and watch it fall. Cats are so demanding… ugh….lol
FEED ME ALREADY
The kitteh in this video purrs EXACTLY like my Duchess, who perches beside me on the bed each morning, reminding me that she needs fresh crunch food in her bowl (never mind if there’s some in there, she MUST SEE you put more in, even if it’s just a small handful).
Yes, I’m enslaved, but happily so, to all 3 of my girls.!
Seriously, someone got *money* to come to this conclusion? That animals can communicate their needs & desires to us? Wow.
I personally always had the impression that cats, especially, felt that humans were a bit thick but that if they were patient they could get their points across. Strikes me as sweet, really, how hard they try to get through our thick skulls!
Obligatory cute story: my late deaf cat would greet me by opening & closing his mouth. Finally dawned on me that that’s what he saw the others doing–they were meowing, of course, but *he* didn’t know that, so he just mimicked what he could.
I’m wondering how long I have before I am required to bend the knee (and fill the food dish) of our Feline Masters. We have no cats in our home at this time–just me, the Countess von Zeppelin, and Sam and Max, Freelance Dogs. When will our illusory freedom come to an end? Will the Cat Gestapo kick in our door some dark night and demand Meow Mix? Will we be subtly indoctrinated by television and the internet? Come to think of it, there sure are a lot of cats here on CO. . .
My beloved tabby, Phil, graciously allows me time to pee first thing in the morning, but he always supervises so as, I think, to prevent me from getting distracted. Then I’m expected to go directly to the kitchen and get him his breakfast. Then, after breakfast he goes back to bed while I schlepp myself off to a job I hate just so I can continue to support him in the manner to which he’s become accustomed.
Thats not what my cat does.
MY cat runs up and down the hallway *murphing, and comes into my computer room several times to look at me with that expectant expression on his face, then reaches up and punctures my knee until I get up to feed him, at which point he runs in front of me and murphs all the way to the kitchen where he continues to murph impatiently while I waste even MORE time by putting his food on those silly little plates.
*Murphing is a vocalization kind of like a meow, only it sounds like “MURPH”.
My Phil also does not like it if he can *see* the bottom of his food bowl. Makes no difference if there’s food around the sides. If he can see the bottom I get the “empty food bowl” meow. I have tried for years to explain to him that the bowl is not empty but then I get treated to his “I’m scoffing at you” meow. The I give in and add crunchies to the bowl. I’m very well trained.
Really old mews! Wasn’t this recorded on the wall of an Eygptian pyramid like 3,000 years ago?
[Apparently by divine order of Queen Napperteethi, yes. Published by Dr. Zahi Hawnches in 1987; it was the central hypawthesis of his dissertation - Ed.]
Yeah, old news, but good news, don’ cha think?
Love all the kitty-feeding stories. One of ours also gets worried when the food bowl get low, and meows at me. I’ll pick up the cat, go into the “food room” (daughter’s bedroom) and excitedly pick up and drop bits of kibble, saying, “Oh, look, cat food!” That usually satisfies him.
Hilarious.Even though this is old news you have to respect the methods involved. Maybe it’s because I’m a scientist too, but this lady nailed down the specific differences between the types of purrs, correlated it with baby cries and then tested whether the phenomena was owner-specific or general. It’s amusing if nothign else. The audio bit on the same page explains that the researcher normally studies elephant vocalization, so this study (which involved just her cat) would have taken about 3 hours on a weekend sometime, not exactly a costly R&D effort.
One small step for mankind, one giant leap towards the Cat Translator Collar.
Hey if you follow the link to the BBC site there is a story about a deaf Dalmation learning sign language. I shall be flying to the UK IMMEDIATELY!!!
That doesn’t explain the goofy captions, though….
Clearly, I am much more of a cat person than a people person. I find the soliciting purr adorable, while the sound of a baby crying just makes me want to get away from the noise.
@rafi My cats have established a similar morning routine: supervised peeing followed immediately and without further delay by the filling of their food dishes.
LOL Actually they use a combination that is so irrisitable no one could deny them
it is the mewpur with the prance and the leg rub or the head butt or the hop-rubb.
Also extremely efective is the meow… mewpurr… combination cat call, Truely NO ONE can resist it’s awesome power.
Lifecoach- a cat translator collar- now, just who would be a good person for the translated words? I’m thinking the lovely dark-haired lady who does the T-Mobile commercials (forgot her name), she has a lovely cat-voice. Somebody help me out with her name, please?
@ Thaniel – your deaf kitty “meowing” silently is so sweet and sad!
My siamese does this purr when I brush her! She doesn’t want food, but it’s definitely an urgent “I loooooove you my faithful hoomin” purr. She generally doesn’t bother me at all, vocally, when her dish is empty; she just gets in my face and acts very lovey (without the urgent purring) until I realize I forgot to refill her food or water.
The researcher said that the study showed people almost invariably found this “solicitation purr” to be unpleasant. So I want to add that I not only find it pleasant, but it makes me giggle my fool hoomin head off. I think it’s beautiful and sweet, and since my cat combines it with a ridiculous love of being brushed and consequent rolling-around all over my lap and drooling with happiness, it just tickles me to no end. I want to pick up that kitty and snuggle it until it squeaks!
@Katrina–that would be the magnificent Catherine Zeta-Jones on the T-Mobile commercials. There IS something cat-like about her lovely contralto, to say nothing of her slinky, fluid movements (she was a dancer in her younger days). For another cat-voice that would command instant obedience, I nominate Lauren Bacall, circa 1944.
This is news? My cats have been manipulating me for years and I’ve always been painfully aware of it. But what could I do? Exactly. Nothing! Resistance is futile.
So what about my Dante, who grunts like a pig? He is a round, furry bowling ball, who grunts and snorts like a pig, and drools, and has a cheesy grin. I believe he is the Homer Simpson of cats.
one of my favorite quotes:
“If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace, I would surely vote for the purr.”
Barbara L. Diamond
Yes, Von Zeppelin, I absolutely agree. Thanks so much for the name, that would have bothered me for days. But Ms. Zeta-Jones might actually be available, and I’m sure would do it for a good cause. It might prevent some scratching incidents.
“She seems nice.”-’Star Gate’ reference.
I hate the BBC. They won’t allow users outside of the UK to view their videos. I wish they’d upload them to YouTube so that everybody can watch.
It ain’t the purr, it’s the sitting on the head that does it.
I love how the volume on the clip goes to 11. It looks like someone at the BBC is a Spinal Tap fan.
Katrina–If a cat translator collar were to be created (perhaps by Charles F. Muntz, evil genius and zeppelin owner), surely it would be a simple matter by manipulating all those digital whatsits to recreate the velvety tones of Miss Bacall in her younger days. I don’t understand the technology myself–I am a simple man, unacquainted with the ways of the city people.
@Rafi, that was what my Stinky was like. “I can see the bottom of my food bowl, ergo, I am starving.”
check out this news clip:
http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/vid/14512872
First-ever all-pet airline!
I asked Buddy, my cat, if this was true. He said it’s not. So this whole article must…. What? Oh, excuse me. I have to go feed Buddy…
Years ago on I think it was the Discovery Chanel my hubby saw the funniest show that was supposed “explain” cats. ( yea, I rolled my eyes too ) The only thing I remember about the show is it said “Cats DON’T sleep on their backs”. ( I kid you NOT) My hubby & I still crack up over that one ! You would think if people are smart enough to get grants to study cats they would be smart enough to actually consult long time cat owners !
(end of rant) BTW this was written with one of my boys “Stoneware” on his back in my lap getting his normal morning belleh rub.
Rafi, I just heap his food in the middle when he does that, and it seems to work!
It’s not his insistent purring that gets me out of bed to feed my cat so much as it is the relentless headbutting, flopping around, licking my head, paw-in-the-eye routine.
@thaniel: LOVE your sweet deaf-cat story. I have 2 cats that weren’t quite properly socialized, and they imitate their siblings in many ways. Too cute.
@catsquatch: we have a “murpher” too! And that’s exactly how we describe it, although usually it’s equivalent to “meh” – you’re petting him and he gets distracted and walks off, “murph murph murph”.
Charlotte Rampling man. She’s got that Lauren Bacall but a dangerous edge to her like a smoky whiskey or a moll yielding a machine gun.
I forgot I was going to ask… I saw a show the other day that said cats do not/cannot purr while sleeping. Does anyone know if this is true? My guys seems to purr when they’re curled up next to me at night, but I guess maybe they’re just “resting their eyes”.
@ Theresa Leave it to yu to have the homer Simpson of the cat world LOL
I do hope you are planing on sharing a pictuer of the Cheesy Grin.
@ ceejoe — i saw that in this morning’s newspaper (about the all-pet airline). What a great idea!
Natalie They purr all the time.. I think the problem is with kitties in cages .. THey are not happy.. so they do not do normal things
like play frolick and get snuggles iwth their hoomin.. No wonder scientist get them all wrong
I’m pretty sure that that is the only kind of purring that my cat does. He wakes me up and licks my face while making the purr and then as I get closer to the food bowl he meows/yowls as if to say “You’re getting warmer, warmer, YOU’RE RED HOT NOW FEED ME.” And then he purrs while he eats his food. So cute/annoying.
@ 5 now 8, I sent the link to Meg.. when I brought my Mom’s kitties here I wish it had been available.. The girls had to ride in the cargo hold poor kitties. THey were very upset.
@kar–I second the nomination of Charlotte Rampling. If we’re looking for catlike qualities, the eyes. . . THE EYES!!
LOL @ Cat Gestapo banging down the door demanding Meow Mix!
Adorable deaf kitty story with the mouf openingks!
My old Kitteh George would purr and squeak kinda but while he was sleeping on my chest. I think in his case he had a deviated septum or something like that.
I’ll take the mewpurr over cat screaming any day! LET MEEE OUUUTTT!! Gah! Yeah, can’t ignore that one either.
I think kittys stop purring when they finally fall asleep. I remember Georgie purr squeaking a while and finally letting out a big sigh, then sleepies.
Smart scientists know how to turn the obvious into a nice feather in their cap. Why didn’t I think of writing a scientific paper about how my kitty head-butts me and purrs aggressively when he wants something?
The cat in the video is WAY too polite. When its feeding time, my cats meow incessantly and nip at my ankles.
The feeding stories are great! I have to add mine. I have a yeller, a meh-er and a silent meower. Mealtimes usually crack me up. The yeller (Prince, a bengal) circles the room yelling (this was particularly funny when he was a tiny kitten). I usually yell back a meow at him and he looks at me like “why are you yelling?”. Janie, a lazy calico sits in one spot and repeatedly “meh”s in the most dainty way. And Squirrel, a tabby, circles my feet just opening her mouth without any sound.
If I have the audacity to be asleep at feeding time I have Prince biting my toes. Squirrel purring in my face with her whiskers just barely touching me so it tickles or chewing my hair, and Janie sitting at the end of the bed like a big fluffy gumdrop doing her “meh”s.
Okay, urgent purring would be a nice change of pace from the meowling that Sunny employs. And there’s plenty of food in her bowl, she wants treats, even if she just had ‘em five minutes ago. She has a large repertoire of meows. Her drama is pretty hilarious since she’s one of the most loved and spoiled cats in the world and yet acts as though she’s so deprived. She gets lectured about how lucky she is about five times a week, but she usually turns her nose up and her head away since she doesn’t want to hear about it. As far as how she wakes me up in the morning, it’s the paw to my face action. She sits there and stares and paws until I wake up. The wonderful thing about that is that it is not for food since there’s already food in her bowl, she wants pets and sweetie pie talk. Such a love she is.
Pets and sweetie pie talk! awwww.
I love that sound, which I would describe as an old air-conditioner with a ball bearing gone bad.
My Pancho (aka Alarm Clock) could detect changes in my breathing rhythm (which must have clearly indicated that I was awaking and food would soon follow). Just to make sure, he would sit on my chest, nose to nose with me, and purr THAT purr into my face, at volumes that would rattle the windows. An occasional poke with a paw on a still closed eyelid was used whenever the waking process took too long for His Royal Impatience.
Thanks for the warning BBC, I’ll takes mah chances.
If he is disatisfied with the level of kibble in his bowl, my Fox-cat deliberately and repeatedly steps in front of me when I am walking around the house. He’s nearly killed me several times.
@Catsquatch, my late Blackie would ‘murph’ softly when I was preparing his food. What an endearing sound!
I beg to differ… My mothers cat, Psychokitty, prefers the alternative method – staring.
She has loads of different stares and different blinks to get my mothers attention.
Naturally, the cat always wins. As has been pointed out, dogs have masters, cats have staff.
I too have become part of Psychokittys staff. I have to play with her when I visit my mothers – it’s the law – or I get severely stared at as she sits right over my coffee mug, nearly inhaling the precious steam…….. cos that cat is a smart, wise animal who knows what she wants…
Our T-Bear doesn’t tend to purr when wanting food/treats. Treats require a loud “MEOW” ((rhymes with “NOW”) in the kitchen. A bowl with BITS of kibbles requires serious bowl-tipping. This involves continually tapping the edge of the metal food bowl until all the little bits fall out to the floor. Hint hint – I NEED FOOD!!!!! Stupid humans.
Simon’s cat on youtube got it right. way right… not sure if this link will work though.
Okay we as cat owners love that sound but the reality is not a one of us could resist it… Could we.
Wait, cats manipulate us? This is news?
I don’t get supplicaton purring much, but my elderly and now deaf cat yowls loudly when she wants something .. anything .. anything at all … including just to remind the world she’s still alive. She doesn’t meow, murph, or meh, however. She hums MMMMM for a sec and then her mouth drops open into GAH so it’s MMMMGAH ! At full volume, I am ready to give her anything she wants just to get her to be quiet. Although the middle of the night MMMMGAH’s usually are only rewarded with a gentle swatting in her direction and pulling pillow over my head.
Did anyone else feel compelled to get up and feed their cats while they were listening to Pepe perform his manipulative meow? It’s almost hypnotic…or will that be covered in Phase II of the study?
DD, like how a lactating mom will leak when anybody’s baby cries?
I for one welcome the chance to feed our cat overlords, resistance IS futile you know.
@Katiedid (sp?)
I’m not skilled at placing links *BUT* what you described re. cat v. remote; exists in a CHARMING Simon Tofield anime called TV Dinner, under Simonscat webpage which is listed in Youtube ….Perfectly pesky yet adorable as the Cats Are.
Enjoy !!!!
I agree – that cat is VERY polite. Mine MEOWS. And he starts to lick your hands to wake you up. If that doesn’t work, he’ll begin to lick your forehead…. If that doesn’t work…well, that always works. He’s got a rough tounge.
I found a link to the print version of this story and posted it on my facebook page; one of my friends added the comment “Oh yeah, orange is still orange, so they don’t need to do a study for that, either.” I mean, really. A whole STUDY to tell us what cat owners know from day one?
Psshh, why do scientific research about animal behavior at all, why not just poll the readership of Cute Overload and that’s that? “Okay, we have this hypothesis that feline purring is not just an indicator of pleasure, but that it can sometimes be a begging behavior. We’ve got all these experiments set up so we can observe it, and see if it’s true, and what makes the begging purr different, and why we respond to it in the way we do, and maybe even make a guess as to WHY cats do it, so let’s…..Oh, wait. Kittymom26 on Cute Overload says this is old news. Turns out cat’s DO purr in an annoying way sometimes, it’s when they want food, and it’s not actually annoying, it’s adorable. Our work here is done, looks like we won’t be getting that 5 trillion dollar grant made up entirely of taxpayer dollars. Shut it down, guys.”
Kar-I was a leaker. AhhhhhK, it was awkward.
I’m pretty sure that this whole ‘experiment’ and ‘documentation’ and ‘conclusion’ thing is a scientific ha-ha. Like a joke, only you can read it and not have to laugh out loud while your computer in ‘compiling’ or whatever is is they do that takes forever. I used to work with a Lab of Applied Physicists (the most fun people in the world). How often did I hear: “Gee, what happens when I do *GRZRKRUMPLOTLEFUMMM* this?” FUUMPHHHHHHHHHHHHHgaboing!
@Paunchie: Dante SNORES.
What is this “supplication purring” of which they speak? I get wet nose and snerffs on my face in the morning followed by loud insistent meows until Polly is fed. And while I’m trying to switch bowls and put the food in the dish she’s usually sitting on my feet. My girl is not one for subtlety.
PS To the Dante snoring thing, I wake up in the morning, on my back, and see Dante on his back, right neck to me, PARALLEL to me, with his paws up in the air, snoring these ridiculous, grunty, snorty snores. He is just sublimely ridiculous.
Erm, that should be “right next to me.”
Theresa- sublime, yes.
It’s called “trilling”, and if you own a cat, you know the noise. It’s a sweet, long meow, with some extra-added purring thrown in to really pull on your heart strings.
they needed to do research to figure this out?
@Katrina (and anyone else interested), here is Dante with his cheesy grin, or at least a very smug look:
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2979775080054217802MnRlVU
@rafi – My cousin is a doctor. Unfortunately for her, her cats possess detailed knowledge of human anatomy as well. Whenever she tries to sleep in on weekends, one of the cats will get into her face to check the vital signs, while the other one steps on her full bladder, which would promptly commence the sequence of morning rituals you described.
@Wuyizidi, what are our privates and chest parts, but kitty parade grounds?
@HomoDM – Oh man. The paw poke in the eye. The wierd thing is Phil has just started doing that in the last year (and he’s 15). I think he’s been going online while I’m at work and dropping into kitty chat rooms.
He’ll also whack me in the face with his tail “by accident” and then treat me to the “Oh, you’re awake now feed me” meow.
And I always do. And I would not trade him for anything in the world.
@Ding – in the winter, I never go down the stairs in the morning without turning on the light. I suspect the cats of conspiring to trip me so they’ll have something to sustain them through the cold season. Why else would they manage to be just where my foot comes down?
@Theresa – yes, but I’m still not entirely comfortable with the bathroom supervision part.
@Wuyizidi: You might as well embroider it on a pillow: “You’ll Never Pee Alone.”
[Wait -- why on a pillow? - Ed.]
Man those are research dollars well spent. I wonder what disease this will cure?
Boy, what else is new!
But it’s good that science is proving what we suspected. Cats rule us. They let us live in their homes. They let us feed them.
Perhaps it’s been said before, but this is like the punchline in “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” — it’s the mice that have been running experiments on *us* all this time.
I *love* you guys (my actual regional you-plural — boring, isn’t it?)!
As a nursing mom, I would actually leak if the cats’ meows got too pleading! Hadn’t thought about that in years!
Theresa, your Dante’s a tuxedo cat! Just like my Francis — they’re funny, all right.
Ding & Lindr – I keep reminding our cats that people can’t see in dim light like they can, so they should get outta the way when I’m walking thru the hall. But do they listen? No, they’d rather risk being stepped on in their quest to trip me. Ahhh, kitties!
I *do* love that these WordPress folks keep us from posting duplicates. (Not that I’d ever make such a mistake.)
KittyAdventures — It’s actually “5 no w8″ (as in 5 cats, no waiting). I know — obscure, like those license plates you stare at and can never figure out.
And in other news, Winston is still not normal. And Maru still needs boxhab.
@Theo, OK then, make a sampler of it and frame it. And hang it in the bathroom.
Hmm, I didn’t know this “bathroom supervision” thing was a trend among so many cats…. I always figured they liked to be in there with me because they felt that when I was sitting on the toilet, my hand was then at the perfect height to pet them (and since I am clearly not doing anything else of importance on the toilet, why wouldn’t I want to pet them, right?
)
My male tux cat mews at me to demand attention… At first they will be short mews, but th longer he gets ignored, the more insistant and indignant they get, until it culminates into a big “Pay ATTENTION to meeeeEEEEE!!” meow…..
@Katie, yes, I do believe there is some “captive audience” factor. Dante also likes to sit in my pants.
This is not surprising, not only to cat owners… But previous studies had already shown that cats have a very developed and not ‘natural’ array of sounds and body language that is used to communicate with humans. (By ‘natural’ I mean, cats who grew up feral do not display those behaviors re other cats.)
It was one of the early ways they distinguished that unlike dogs (who think that they and humans are the same,) cats do not regard themselves and humans as the same… cat vs. human communication involves much more and louder vocalization, and bigger body movements, than cat vs. cat communication, which is much more subtle. In other words, cats have to ’shout’ to get through to us hard-of-hearing humans.
Next “Is the Pope Catholic!!!” film at 11…
@5^^nowaiting, Yes, thank you. I think he also has a look of Marvin the Martian about him:
http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/files/2008/07/marvin-the-martian.jpg
Cat purring is my favorite sound! I wish my George would purr louder, he’s rather quiet in that regard. He can, however meow fairly loudly, but he doesn’t meow for food. Rather, he meows randomly and crazily when he’s romping around the house having a “playful” episode. My Isabella purrs *very* loudly, to show pleasure when petted. When she wants food or treats, she simply stares at me with *huge* eyes. I can’t resist. Cats are bliss.
@Theresa – The first time I misread the sentence about what your cat likes to do in your pants and I thought you must be the most patient and forgiving person in the world. The I reread it and the light went on. “SIT, he likes to SIT in her pants.”
I’m sure you’re still incredibly patient and forgiving.
Also? dante is one big handsome dude.
This should be on The Onion with the other one
GIGGLE
Our dear kitty, Smokey (light tortie), will give a tiny mew for food 
and she is 15 year old lady cat 
Our Skimble (not the one in the avatar, that’s Nermal) actually BARKS (no, there are no dogs in the household…am definitely NOT a dog person). We can hear him come in through the cat-flap downstairs and BARK his way up the stairs; he then leaps on my husband and, continuing to bark, drools copiously (no, his teeth are fine) until he gets attention. Yet we still love him. Hmmm.
My two cents….
On top of what Kodalai said which I find very fascinating to learn. If cats have to shout to get us to pay attention to begin with it’s no wonder they are using special sounds to get our attention. Especially when considering they rely on us for their needs. Comparing their “special” purr to the cry of a baby and then accusing it of being manipulative seems just silly to me when you think about it.
What does the baby want? Food? Drink? Attention? Can it get it on its own? No. What does it do? Cries. So our cats (who for some of us ARE our babies) What does the cat want? Food? Drink? Attention? Can it get it on its own? No. What does it do? Cries.
And just as a baby has different cries to let us know what they need, so apparently our cats have developed them as well.
Many cat owners treat their cats like babies as is. They are our furry children. We bring them home, we love them, we keep them inside, and they learn to depend on us entirely for all their needs. Cat may have developed a reputation for being self sufficient and aloof in personality but they can’t pour food, open cans, turn on faucets, or clean their boxes.
I think calling them manipulative is a bit ridiculous.
Theresa-your cheesy-doodle is beautiful. I’m glad he reads the paper, it is so important for cats to be informed these days. (!)
I have had many puddy-tats and not one left me alone in the bathroom and then I had two boy-animals, who, sure enough continued the tradition for some time. I remember the first time I went to the bathroom alone-I was lonely. I put magazines in the bathroom, and still read!
They love us, so, hey.
Felicityanne–I had a cat who barked too. He was a shelter rescue, must have lived with dogs before or something… he’d bark when I wasn’t paying enough attention to his requests for food or “out.” He’s also the only cat I’ve ever been allergic to. I’m allergic to dogs, but usually not cats….
The only useful cat behavior documentary I’ve seen was one with Desmond Morris (I *think* it was him) where they filmed a loose family group of semi-feral cats on a farm. Probably most enlightening to the audience was the fact that cats are NOT as solitary by nature as we’ve been led to believe. This particular “pride” had a social structure and socialized freely and willingly with each other.
@Bad Kittymama – I just found out there’s a show on Animal Planet called Housecat Housecall. It’s basically the cat version of Dog Whisperer – dealing with cats with behavior problems. I’ve only seen two episodes, seems to be pretty good.
Jeez, I WISH my cat just purred when she wanted something. She resorts to hysterical, shrill noises that I can only describe as screaming. I never knew cats could be so loud and demanding until I got her!
Put on a brave face. We can handle anything these cats throw at us! What, are we a buncha saps?
(… don’t answer that?)
I’d like to see them do a cat study on:
Moths; Fun toy or nutritious snack?
Doors; For going in, or going out?
@pyrit:
re your final line …
have you already enjoyed Simonscat “instructive film” “Let Me In” ??
(currently lists 9 million satisfied viewerzzzz..)
If I were morr klever, I would attach the link here.
Ed’s? enny chance you could compensate for my lack of ability & provide that link here? If not, I know you’re outlandishly busy w/ more consequential tasks….
Purrs to all
Hi Leslie (nta!!) Yep, very familiar with Simon’s Cat . Looove the drawing style and spot-on humor. Mr. Tofield is very observant.
OK, there was one more study on my list, which I deleted, but what-the-hey:
Cat Butts; My face, or yours? (from the cat’s perspective of course)
Pyrit — LOLs, as usual! How do you keep ‘em coming? (Glad you do)
Manipulated or not I love doing things that make my Cookie happy. She gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants and I would not have it any other way.
How is this news to ANYBODY?
JessicaR, your kitty sounds EXACTLY like our kitty, Badger (dark tortie)
She will SCREAM for attention 
and like you I never knew a cat could YOWL that LOUD 
My keeper (16 year old cat named Willow) isn’t as subtle as the insistent purrrrrr.. Feed me NEEEOOOWWWWWWWW!
Apart from the “lying on the head” routine, our cat also has a “knock everything off the little table next to the bed until they move” routine. That’s why I keep my glasses in the drawer.
great vid. awesome.
THEY’RE GETTING SMARTER.
You will be used and you will like it, human slave.
My cat Simba will sit by my chair while I’m on the computer, and stare up at me until either I pick him up or sometimes he wants me to get water, he’s like the decided keeper of the water amongst my cats lol.
I usually end up giving in and going to take care of the water, lol. I should be so glad my cats haven’t learned to lie down on the keyboard until I give them what they want. Uh-oh, well what if they can read??
Comments on this entry are closed.