Maybe I should label today’s fact “Domestic Fact #977” since I have a tough time considering the common house cat to be wild. Although, they tend to be independent and slightly rebellious so that is how I am justifying them as a Wild Fact!
I have often thought of cats as being a conniving and manipulative pet. Now, I have scientific evidence to prove just how manipulative cats can be. A new study has shown that cats have evolved a special purr called “solicitation purring”. They have developed this special purr in order to get what they want from humans! This purr has a similar pitch and frequency to a baby crying. We all know that we can’t ignore a baby crying, especially when you are trying to sleep on a late night flight. I am sure many cat owners have witnessed this type of manipulative purring. You know that awesome time in the morning when you just wake up and it is cold outside so you just want to lie all snuggled up in your warm, comfy bed? Yeah, that is a great time yet the minute you start to stir, in comes Midnight purring like a crazy cat. Because of the high pitch and frequency which makes the purr sound urgent, you feel inclined to get out of your warm sanctuary and plop some food into her bowl. If this has ever happened to you then your faithful, furry, feline friend just pulled a fast one over you. When cats communicate with other cats they tend to use a lower pitched purr. They only save this high-pitched, annoying, baby like sound for their owners! And you wonder why they say a dog is man’s best friend?
Have you ever witnessed the high-pitched frequency of a whining cat? Did you know they evolved this pitch to get what they want from humans?
Amen to that! My cat knows exactly what she’s doing to get what she wants – although rather than purrrs it’s usually sitting on my chest or scratching/biting me. Very entertaining post today! =)
@SamanthaJoyTavo, A human scratching post! Interesting method your cat has. I guess you were ignoring the purring so it decided to take a more direct approach.
Thanks for the comment!
I too have heard that high-pitched purring and it usually works. Unfortunately for me, my dog does not like it when the cats jump on the bed so if I don’t hear them, he usually bounds up in the middle of the bed to make sure I’m aware they’ve intruded and he won’t settle down until I oust the critters! This often happens around 3:00 a.m. so if I’m not too perky in the a.m. you know why!
@Bev Lawrence, That is cool that you have had the privilege of listening to the high pitch baby squeal. I like the way the cat and dog works together! I am not sure how long I would have a cat if it kept waking me up at 3:00 am!
It was great hearing your story so thank you!
First, that is one of the cutest pictures I have ever seen!!
Second, thank you for answering a long wondered question of mine. I never looked up why cats purred before, but always wondered. Very interesting. I must say, I have 3 cats and they are very demanding and do usually get exactly what they want from purrring and meowing. We humans are suckers 😉
Thanks for checking out Wild Facts! I love hearing that people have actually witnessed their cats meowing to get what they want. How can humans not be suckers when cats can look as cute as the posted picture! I am sure your cats appreciate you catering to them! Thanks again for visiting!!
Hey Nathan! This picture is so cute. I volunteer at my local animal shelter so I see this and a whole lot of other things all the time. I love your blog. Are you going to continue it after you’ve done all your 1,000 Wild Facts?
It is definitely a great picture! I can imagine you must see some pretty cute animals at the shelter. I am not too sure what will happen once I reach 1000 Wild Facts. I figure by the time it actually happens I will have a pretty good idea what to do next. Do you have any ideas?
Thanks for reading and the nice compliments!