
Yesterday the Night Owl took a look at the adorable UK animal named Merlin who’d drawn worldwide attention through the internet. Tonight we’re taking a look at the, um, OTHER adorable UK animal named Merlin who’s drawn worldwide attention through the internet.
And also, this time, through the Guinness Book of World Records.
Merlin the cat is owned by Tracy Westwood of Torquay, Devon in the UK. He was rescued from an animal shelter and came to live with Tracy. Over time, his unique qualities became obvious.
Specifically, he purrs. Often. Almost always. And that purr is loud.
How loud? An average cat purr is in the range of 25 dB. Merlin spikes at over 100, regularly.
Unfortunately for his owner, when the Guinness people check for a record, they do so with very strict guidelines to ensure a level playing field. In this case, the microphone needed to be a specific distance from the cat. Not being measured directly at the site of the purr, the official measurement was significantly lower than 100 dB… but still registered as the loudest in the world.
Question of the night: who’s your favorite famous cat?