I knew it! I knew it! Check out this headline from The Guardian newspaper in the U.K.
Sound Effect: How cats exploit the human need to nurture
That's right. Our feline "friends" sucker people all the time into taking care of them. Researchers at the University of Sussex found that when a cat desires to be fed, it embeds in its purr a high frequency "solicitation" frequency that human find irritating, but one that also arouses a sense of urgency, like when a baby is crying -- but it is perceived as less obnoxious that overt meowing. This purring leads the human to quickly fulfill the feline's felonious plot for immediate attention.
You mean the solicitation purr is even more annoying than when they rub themselves on your leg, leaving god-knows-what debris, scent, etc. on your clothing? Yes, that's exactly what I mean.
Interestingly, according to the research, this combo purr occurs only in cat's that live in single-person households. In essence, the cat's are exercising undue influence over these poor people.
Kinda gives you sympathy for the "cat lady" living down the street, doesn't it?
(Run, Cat Lady, run! For the love of God, run!!! -- Right after you feed them, of course)
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