Do Cats Control Us? New Research Says "Yes"
There is a plethora of cat lovers who may have a serious question about whether the statement, "Cats control us" is true. So it doesn't surprise me to learn that in fact, recently a group of scientists have taken on the fur-raising endeavor to research if this is true. Of course, passionate cat lovers already know the answer and many of us in fact, are quite aware that we have chosen to be willing "servants" to the feline species. After all, the expression, "Dogs have masters; cats have slaves" is one to which any avid cat lover highly subscribes.
According to findings published in a recent edition of Live Science, "Household cats exercise this control with a certain type of urgent-sounding, high-pitched meow. Apparently this feline communication meow type sound is produced by a combination of a high-pitched cry and a purr. The report suggests that some cats make this purr-cry sound to plaintively "request" food; that many humans find these mixed calls difficult to ignore as they consider them annoying. In my opinion, this seems to me to be a rather upfront and straightforward means for cats to impart to their purrson that their meal may be "overdue "in their opinion.
Karen McComb of the University of Sussex said, "The embedding of a cry within a call that we normally associate with contentment is quite a subtle means of eliciting a response. Solicitation purring is probably more acceptable to humans than overt meowing, which is likely to get cats ejected from the bedroom."
It seems that cats really do have our "number" and know just what sound will get the desired effect. Since cats are highly intelligent, they quickly learn the difference between what works and what will fall on "deaf ears" to "play" their human most effectively.
Additionally, based on previous research, it was found that there is a similarity in a cat cry and the sound of a human infant cry. McComb postulates that the purr-cry may "subtly take advantage of human's sensitivity to cries they associate with nurturing offspring and including the cry within the purr could make the sound less harmonic and thus more difficult to habituate to.
What I found most fascinating about what inspired McComb's research is that she got the idea for the study based on her own cat's early morning communications . . . you know that one . . . the constant sound of purring in one's ear requesting breakfast be served immediately. After discussing her own experience with other cat owners she learned that most reported the exact kind of behavior. Since her expertise is in communication in mammals, she decided to undertake investigation into the "manipulative" meow.
However, it was difficult to set up the experiments since cats easily communicate these sounds to their owners, but resist doing it with strangers. McComb trained cat owners to record their pet's cries, both when asking for food, and at other times. 10 cats were recorded during this experiment. When the recording were played for 50 human participants, some of whom were not familiar with cats, the results were quite interesting. All of the participants surmised that the combination purr and cry were food related sounds while the random meows were less urgent or harmonious to the ears. And when the recordings were re-synthesized, removing the combination purr-meow, "the human subjects' urgency ratings for those calls decreased significantly".
McComb continued adding, "We think that cats learn to dramatically exaggerate it when it proves effective in generating a response from humans." and that their cry is present at low levels in normal purring. She also thinks that "it seems to most often develop in cats that have a one-on-one relationship with their owners rather than those living in large households, where purrs might be overlooked."
The results of the experiment was published in the July 14 edition of the journal "Current Biology"
I think I am going to pay more attention to our cat's vocalizations to find if they agree with McComb's research. Do you think that cats do really control us? Leave a comment and let us know.
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Comments (9)
Reno July 31, 2009 12:59 PM
Oh, I totally agree that cats control us. Whenever one of my cats shouts out like that I go running. However, once I reach the cat, he/she looks at me like, "Well? PET ME!" They certainly were not hurt. I keep joking with them that they are like the boy that cried wolf. They don't get it. LOL
Ruth from England July 31, 2009 1:09 PM
Our cats certainly control us,we know and grant their evey wish,we know our place and are their most willing servants !
Vicki July 31, 2009 1:12 PM
I don't know if they control us, but as any pet owner, you know if they need attention, or if they are ill, or need some kind of assistance. We all see to the needs of our pets, and just know when they need us for something. Maybe for that reason we use the term that they control us.
jmuhj July 31, 2009 5:48 PM
"Control us"? ABSOLUTELY! And I wouldn't have it any other way. (Seriously, yes, I'm hard-wired to react instantly and swiftly whenever I hear a cat meow, wherever it emanates from! I'll drop everything and run to help a cat.)
Iniki July 31, 2009 7:14 PM
After 60 years I have most of the cat sounds down and know what they are so I am not quite so worried when one of them starts to warble. One of the kittens I raised in 2005 is very clingy and has separation issues. He found out that the best way to get my attention is to dog my tracks night and day and keep an eye on momma. He has a special purry-meow he uses just for me. Every once in a while one of them will throw me a curve though. Gotta love them.
Skylark August 1, 2009 9:01 AM
Absolutely! We have three, and they totally rule the roost, including my husband (who didn't want the 3rd cat but now lets him drink water from the faucet while he brushes his teeth) who now even scoops litterboxes for them! I never thought I'd see the day...
Beth August 3, 2009 11:56 AM
Of course they do. Never a question in our house. We are merely the caretakers.
Steff August 4, 2009 1:04 PM
I agree 100%. Our cats know to meow if they want something. If we won't give them enough attention they'll follow us around until we finally do. And if anything else fails, they just climb up our legs... mind you, our cats are not declawed!!! Cats certainly know how to manipulate their owners!
Karen August 6, 2009 7:04 AM
cats totally control us, mine controls me!!! i had two dogs over my life and never felt controled like this. i love her to death, but oh boyyyy she runs my life!!!! how to stop this? who knows, i hope someone figures it out. its amazing really, how an animal takes over. well i guess i let her!!!! but one thing, since the kids are gone, she does really fill a big void in my life. so i will keep letting her control me, shes my little baby. lol.
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