Photo: Cats Use "Irresistible" Purr-Whine to Get Their Way

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A woman strokes a silver tabby Persian cat in an undated picture.

Hungry house cats use a unique combination of sounds—a purr blended with a plaintive whine—that manages to be annoying but irresistible to humans, according to a July 2009 study.

Photograph by Willard Culver

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