BS: Solicitation purring

Subject: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Anne Lister
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 03:16 AM

Item on the Today programme this morning (BBC Radio 4) on the different ways a cat can purr, including what a researcher has named "solicitation purring", which is what many cat staff members get in the morning as a request for food. The researcher thinks that cats have learnt to manipulate their blobs (sorry, their staff) by adding a vocalisation which is, she says, on the same frequency as a baby's cry.
There's a piece on this on the BBC website (for which I've forgotten to add the URL, sorry).
To me, the sound sample sounds more like a highly excited cat ...as the small bit of video shows the cat sitting by a food bowl that's how I would have read the sounds myself. But I'm not a paid researcher, so what do I know?
Our cat has a huge variety of vocalisations and purrs and yes, they're manipulative in the sense that she wants us to do things for her (open doors, food packets, play, tickle etc). They're also hugely endearing, so I suppose I'm totally in thrall to the cat.

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: gnomad
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 04:40 AM

What cats' staff knew already

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Darowyn
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 04:41 AM

I'd guess that this research was done by someone who is not familiar with the normal vocal repertoire of a domestic cat.
The vocalised purr is a normal greeting between a Mother and her kittens. In a social situation it is used between adult cats and fellow members of their "family" group.
The reason cats and humans can enjoy one another's company is that feline social signals nearly make sense to humans, and human social signals nearly make sense to cats.
A human greets a cat by saying "hello" and offering a stroke.
A cat greets a human by giving the greeting due to a group member, and offering physical contact.
If this is manipulative, then so is every normal greeting.
You'd have to be an extreme individualist to believe that social interaction, or good manners, to put it in a human context, are mainly for the purpose of solicitation of favours.
Felicitation would be a better word.
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 07:00 AM

I have found that "Fuck off you noisy animal, there is scrunch in your bowl" is eventually learned by most cats to be a refusal of milk or meat (or fish).

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Micca
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 07:12 AM

In my own case, Little Wugsie jumps up and down on my prone person if I am more than 30 mins later than my 7.15 a.m working day rising time, punctuated with occassional head butts if I do not respond immidiately!!! It is defo solicitation even if there are "scrunchies in her bowl". At least she has given up her previous method of awaikening me which was by licking the end of my nose!!( if you wish to duplicate the effect take a sheet of 60 grit sand paper and dampen it then apply it to the end of your nose!)

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: SharonA
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 07:42 AM

The Drama Queen is very stingy with her purrs. The best chance of hearing her purr above a purr-whisper occurs when she is soliciting me for food or playtime while I am sitting or reclining in the living room or bedroom. However, when I am in the kitchen, I get the "solicitation yell" -- the demand for food. For the sake of my own sanity, I have had to train her to make a "nice noise" (a vocalized purr -- a "grrrfff" or "grrrowp") on command before I'll put the food down for her.

The Little Prince (the new kid in town, approximately 11 weeks old) came from the shelter with a defective squeaker; thus far he seems incapable of mewing normally. However, his purrer is in good working order, and he uses it often and indiscriminately. As of yet, he has not learned the fine art of withholding purrs and other affections until they are needed for solicitation purposes. As he spends more and more time arount The Drama Queen, I trust that she will train him well!

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 08:16 AM

My cat isn't so subtle, she goes for the "feed me or I sink my claws in your leg" approach

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 12:08 PM

Is a baby manipulating us when it cries for food? What a bunch of prats! I don't like the tone of the research or article. There are no astonishing revelations; it is condescending and ignorant in the way of cats.

I also noticed some other idiotic revelations as in teaching a deaf dog "sign language." Any good dog trainer will train with hand signals and find it effective whether a dog can hear or not. In my Merlee's case, he has gone deaf in older age, yet already knew hand signals so has no problem knowing what he's supposed to do. They make it sound as if no one has ever done such a thing before! I mean, it is good they are training the dog in order to have it adopted but they are being a bit dramatic when they say they are teaching it "sign language" imo.

I'm not really grumpy this morning, just don't like pretentious academics coming up with such tripe.:-)

katchannellingoneofheroldcats!

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 12:19 PM

It's not my cats purring AT me in that 'feed me' way, that gets my attention, as much as the 'mind control' fixed STARE that they do at the same time.... ("You will comply!")

They have very determined little wills where food is concerned. And rightly so, as we of course keep them dependent on us and in a state of semi-kittenhood for the pleasure of having them around.. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 07:09 PM

Er - no I don't.

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Emma B
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 07:51 PM

I rather like the sound of purring I find it very soothing

Has anyone seen the animated version of 'The Mousehole Cat' btw?
The story of how Tom and Mouzer saved the Town of Mousehole from the Great Storm

or Simon's Cat

Snoring down your earhole in bed however is something else!

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Jul 09 - 10:42 PM

I love the sound of purring. Emma, thanks for the links. We saw the Mousehole Cat years ago and loved it. I can't wait for Morgan to see it. It is so well done!

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 10:55 AM

My cat is convinced that the sound of the water sloshing in the dishwasher means that there is a flood occurring somewhere near the kitchen. If she wants to eat while it's going, she stands on the nearby stairway, stares me in the face and says "Rra!" every few minutes.

It took me a while to figure out what the problem was and to put her food bowl up high where the flood couldn't get her.

After I figured that out, it was easier to figure out that "Rra!" while the microwave is running means 'It is dangerous for the cat to eat in the kitchen while the cyclotron is in operation.'

They're a lot smarter than researchers think.

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Anne Lister
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 02:59 PM

Leeneia, you're so right! Our cat has, as I said earlier, a number of different vocalisations, ranging from the chirrup which is a happy greeting (and can also indicate a change of activity) to various vowel-based sounds. She also answers questions (her responses come at exactly the right time, even if we haven't decoded them properly yet), comes to her name and frequently acts as if she's totally understood what we were saying. She's worked out that when I've got my shoes on then I'm off out, and tries to waylay me to prevent me going, and gets huffy if an overnight bag is packed.
It's exactly a year since she came into our lives now and we're so pleased to find that she's an intelligent and sensitive member of the family.

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 06:03 PM

RB "Er - no I don't."

So you were somehow compelled to have a cat as a pet? I presume a child and/or spouse wanted a kitten then. Still, same deal. Domesticated animals are developmentally retarded by human owners, in order to ensure dependency.

Subject: RE: BS: Solicitation purring
From: SharonA
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 03:33 AM

I once had a boyfriend who used to tell the story of an acquaintance's cat. The story went that the cat could say its own name. The cat's name was Raul.