Just on the off chance you missed the June 14th issue of Current Biology, there was an insightful article about cats entitled “The Cry Embedded Within the Purr”.  In summary, your cat is smarter than you think he is and he’s been playing you for a fool.  Cat owners everywhere responded with a collective ‘duh’.

For all the loyal readers (Hi, Mom) who also read my columns over at our sister site, Camp Campaign, you know how I feel about our government spending our hard earned tax dollars on research of dubious value.  But in this case, rejoice.  This study was not funded by us, but by the hard working taxpayers in the UK.  Suckers.

Anyway, the researchers in this study recorded various cat cries and played them back for study subjects.  The researchers noted each participant’s response to the cries.  They then mixed and matched portions of the electronically recorded cat meows and measured the responses to the edited meows.   Seriously.   You can read the abstract of the study here, if you’re into that sort of thing.

According to their findings, cats  deliberately will intermix an occasional cry with some soothing purring when they want you to feed them.  The subtle juxtaposition of the cry in the midst of purring gives the impression of greater urgency to the cry, pushing you, the humble pet owner, to rush to the cabinet for  a can of Friskies Select as you apologize for letting Fluffy suffer so long without food.

The bottom line of the study is that your cat is playing you, “exploiting sensory biases that humans have for providing care”.  In other words, the cat knows that you will jump to the rescue if you sense she’s in some sort of distress, and she knows how to fake the level of distress necessary to prod you into action.  The bad news is that your pet has outsmarted you, and even now that you know it she’ll just up the cute and cuddly factor to continue to play you as the fool.  The good news is that you’re not alone.

Tweet This Post