Not that cat owners didn't already know this, but...

[bjornolf]

Cats are in control, and here's one of the ways they do it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/200 ... studyfinds

I grew up with a silver persian who was very bossy. He DEFINITELY did this. I never realized it at the time or thought about it then, but thinking back to my memories of him, I clearly recall that he had two different purrs, and one had this little chittering quality to it. I always just thought that in certain positions, he had like some form of apnea due to his squished face. I didn't realize it was him manipulating me. Of course, I never fed him, so I'm sure he aimed it at my mom more than me.

Have you guys and gals with cats ever noticed your little buddies doing this?

[CameronBornAndBred]

I've had tons of cats and I don't remember this behaviour, or see it in our new evil cat. We have always had food out at the ready for them though, so there was never really a "feeding time". Cool study, though.

[bjornolf]

Well, it did say that not all cats do this, and that cats in larger families don't tend to. Maybe other cats count as part of a big family in a cat's mind? Or did you mean you've had several cats, but only one at a time?

[CameronBornAndBred]

Well, it did say that not all cats do this, and that cats in larger families don't tend to. Maybe other cats count as part of a big family in a cat's mind? Or did you mean you've had several cats, but only one at a time?
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Usually we've had several cats at once. Lately it's just been one at a time. I think they turn evil when they are single by the way. Mine are vicious. (Friendly and fun loving, but my scars are accumulating from the kamikaze kat attacks.)

[TillyGalore]

Two of my cats make this noise. Sometimes it is because of food, sometimes it's because a cat doesn't like the location of the litter box, the litter in the litter box (was trying out new litter), one did it the first night in the new house, and the other does just because. They both know that they will get a faster response from me when they use that tone, but the don't always use it.

And yes, my cats have ruled over my house since day one. On the weekends, I won't make the bed if a cat is curled up on it. If one of them is curled up with me, I won't get up until they have moved. Sometimes I make them move by over-loving them, you know trick them into thinking it was their idea to move.

I have a magnet that reads "there is no such thing as a cat owner." That is so true in my house.

[bjornolf]

My wife is reading a series of books called the house of night. It's mindless reading for the weekends, but she likes them. It's about a vampire finishing school (think Harry Potter meets Twilight set in Oklahoma), but anyway, cats live all over the house of night, and they pick their people (they don't call them owners) by walking right up to them and moving into their dorm rooms, and it is mentioned many times that the cats own the people, not the other way around. If Tilly were a fledgling vampire, she'd fit right in there. ;)