By Kevin Lynch
Merlin, a
rescue kitty from Torquay, Devon (UK) now has plenty to make a noise
about after being confirmed as having the world record for Loudest purr
by a domestic cat.
Merlin,
aged 13, who was adopted from an animal rescue centre in nearby
Kingskerswell by his owner Tracy Westwood and her daughter Alice, was
crowned king of the purrs during recent filming of the Channel 5 TV
show, ‘Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud 2’.
With
a Guinness World Records adjudicator on hand to verify, Merlin
registered a purr measuring 67.8 decibels, beating the previous record
of 67.68 decibels set in 2011 by Smokey – another British cat.
Speaking
of her record-breaking pet, Tracy said: “Occasionally when he’s really
loud I have to repeat myself. When you’re watching films you have to
turn the telly up or put him out of the room, if he’s eating he’ll purr
loudly. I can hear him when I’m drying my hair.
“If
he’s cleaning he gets louder and sometimes if the telephone rings I do
get people asking me what’s that noise in the background, I tell them
it’s the cat but I don’t know if they believe me.”
At
almost 70 decibels, Merlin’s purr is as noisy as a conversation or an
air conditioner and nearly as loud as a shower or even a dishwasher.
GWR
spokesman Jamie Clarke said: “Here at Guinness World Records we enjoy
coming across your typical everyday pet with a rather unique talent and
Merlin the Cat from Torquay is just that. It was amazing to see just how
loud his purr was in person and, despite a couple of readings of
Merlin’s purr just under the current record, a bowl of tuna cat food
proved to make all the difference and secure the record.”
Pet
behaviour expert, Professor Peter Neville, who also features in the
show, said: “No-one’s really sure why cats purr, we do know that they
all purr at the same frequency, and cats tend to do this when they’re
very relaxed and when they’re happy, while kittens do it when they’re
suckling from their mothers. Interestingly the big cats – lions and
tigers and so on, can’t purr. It’s only the little guys, the Felis genus
cats who purr.”
Viewers
in the UK can hear Merlin’s record-setting purr by tuning into Make You
Laugh Out Loud 2, tonight which airs on Channel 5 at 8pm. Watch a
preview of Merlin's appearance in the player below.
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