Saturday, February 28, 2009

Get Your Motor Running

Perhaps no other aspect of felines is more unexplainable and powerful than...THE PURR. While its mechanism still eludes scientists to this day, it has great power over those who hear it. Take our sweet Maggie for example. What was the first thing about her that made us take her home? Her purring on my lap. What can make my heart melt when I come near her? Oh, yes, my freinds, that same sweet sound. My personal theory is that the purr is on some hypnotic frequency that causes mind-control in humans. Any way it works, it sure lends some job security for our little one.

Besides being oh-so-sweet to hear, Maggie's purr is also quite hilarious. We in the Jennings' household call it her lie-detector. See, the purr can't be faked or hidden. What does this mean? That we know exactly when Maggie is happy, whether she wants us to know or not. Here are some examples of when she purrs, despite herself:

-when one of us walks in the room
-when we pet her, even if she play-bites (we know the truth)
-when she's hunting (kinda gives herself away, I know)
-when we give her food
-when she finds a fun place to hide (under a tent, rug, etc.)
-when she's perfectly content (this is what a cat's life is about after all, isn't it?)

So this "tell" of Maggie's got me to thinking - what would it be like if we as humans had an uncontrollable noise that came from us whenever we were happy? I can image walking down the hall in Jr. High and passing that guy I liked, only to be horrified by a loud purr coming from me. Or perhaps I would give myself away rather embarassingly when the theme song to American Idol comes on. Well, I guess I can be thankful I'm not a cat. But I sure am glad Maggie purrs for me...

Here's a video of Maggie's happy, purring moments. Go ahead, turn your volume up, and get happy...