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YouTube screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET
In the YouTube era, the feats of strength that decide who or what holds sway over our eyeballs and ear bones have been replaced by a sense of novelty and wackiness…and by cats. Cat videos are the meme that won’t die, even after several years, and a new feline king has just been crowned — king of the purr.
Merlin is a British rescue cat who has recently been certified as the new Guinness world record holder for loudest purr by a domestic cat. His purr has been recorded at 67.8 decibels, just barely beating out the previous record of 67.68 decibels held by another UK cat named Smokey.
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Merlin’s owner Tracy Westwood says a local TV station was able to record her cat purring at 100 decibels, which is about as loud as the rumble of a passing motorcycle.
“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,” Westwood told Guinness. “I tell them it’s the cat, but I don’t know if they believe me.”
You can hear a sample of Merlin’s roar in the video below from a few years ago. All hail the new king of the Web!
