Source: Current Biology
Don’t let Fluffy fool you into refilling her bowl. Beware this of purr-fectly sneaky move: Hungry cats tailor the pitch of their purr to trigger a nurturing response in their unsuspecting owners.
British researchers at the University of Sussex call it a “solicitation” purr, an urgent cry or meowing sound embedded within an otherwise pleasing purr. The result? A call that humans generally find annoyingly difficult to turn out.
The 50 people in the study found the sound “more urgent and less pleasant” than the purr most of us associate with a contented cat. Subtler than a meow, it’s still too grating to ignore—and one more way for cats to remind us who’s in charge.
Tip: An adult cat should be fed two times a day, and each serving should be one-forth of a cup.
