Why Do Cats Purr?
Curiosity killed the cat but my quest to learn why cats purr led to fascinating revelations. When we pet and tickle our kitties, they purr but have you ever wondered why they do so. Pet parents assume purring is an indicator that cats are in good mood. While cats purr when contented, there is more to the purring. Today we are answering the question why do cats purr?
Reasons Why Cats Purr
- Happy Mood
When cats are in a pleasant mood they purr. When your furry friend is purring on your lap it shows she is enjoying the attention and lots of fuss. A cat’s purr is arguably the most notable sign of contentment. Cats express their feelings by purring, in the same way, humans giggle and dogs wag their tails.
- Frightened
Cats purr when they are afraid or distressed. When in an uncalm environment, cats purr in an attempt to calm down. When you visit the vet, you will notice the purring when your feline is being examined. Don’t confuse the purring as a contentment sound, your cat is trying to calm herself as the examination is underway. When afraid, cats purr as a defense mechanism.
- Relief
When cats experience discomfort, they purr to self-soothe and manage pain. Take for instance, during labor felines purr to alleviate the discomfort. When in pain, cats purr to soothe themselves. Experts believe the vibrations are physically rejuvenating and help cats heal after a stressful experience.
- Mother-Kitten Bond
After parturition, the cats continue purring to lead their kittens to their bodies for nursing. Since kittens are born blind and deaf, the purrs from the mother are vital for their survival. When kittens are a few days old, they communicate with their mother through purrs. The purrs help the mother know where their kittens are and whether they are okay. Mothers, therefore, locate their kittens for feeding through the purrs. Kittens also use the vibrations to communicate among themselves. Cat’s purrs nurture the bond between the mother and the kittens.
- Expedite Healing
When a cat is wounded, pundits believe purring helps speed up the healing process. The purrs cause vibrations within the body that aids in healing bones, repairing tendons, and wound healing. The cat purrs also ease breathing reduce pain and swelling. The frequency of the vibrations promotes bone growth because bones harden in response to the pressure. Why do cats purr when napping? It’s a form of self-repair. The vibrations help keep the pup’s bones and tissues in good condition as it rests.
- Nurture the bond between cats and pet parents
Cat purrs benefit pet owners in a big way. The purrs cause a calming and pleasant feeling. Humans respond to cat’s purrs as a calming stimulus and I admit it’s so relaxing to curl up with a purring buddy. Cats also use the purrs to let the pet owners know it is mealtime. For example, if your cat looking up at you and glancing towards the food cabinet making loud purrs, it wants to munch.
How Does Cat Purring Help Humans?
I am no Reiki but sound is an important tool in helping humans heal. Healers believe that certain frequencies and tones of sound have healing effects on the body. Cat purrs are no exception as they help uplift humans.
- Cat purrs help release endorphins in cats and will do the same in humans. Endorphins are stress alleviating hormones and are helpful for healing and lowering blood pressure. Cat purrs help people cope with illnesses. No wonder owning a cat relieves stress. The purrs help pet owners stay calm all the time.
- Healing by association is another specialty of a cat purr. The vibrations help calm, soothe, and heal illnesses sympathetically. People with migraines say lying down with their purring cat helps ease their migraines.
- Pet parents have lower chances of heart attacks when compared to non-cat owners. Besides people who live with cats have lower blood pressure after interacting with cats and hearing their soft purrs.
Interesting Facts About Cat Purring
- Cat purrs are caused by low-frequency vibrations inside the body. The series of vibrations help in bone healing and speed up the healing when a cat is injured. This explains why a cat will recuperate faster from a fall than a dog.
- The purr vibration frequency is in the same bracket as the frequency used in physical healing. The frequency helps increase bone density. Ever wondered why a cat jumps from a tree and upon landing feel nothing.
- Purring is not common in all cats. The soothing vibration is only produced by domesticated cats and some wild cats. A cat that purrs can’t roar and a roaring cat can’t purr. There is a small bone inside the vocal cords. In roaring cats, the bone is flexible and allows big cats to roar. In domesticated cats, the bone is completely hardened and only permits air vibrations while breathing in and out.
- If your cat purrs loudly, she is persuading you to do something. Cats will purr loudly and desperately when hungry and in response, we rush to the food cabinet. The behavior can be described as purrsuasion power!
- Since purring can be caused by different things, you need to look at the cat’s behavior and study the mood to know what message is relayed.
How do cats purr?
Surprisingly there is no region in the cat’s body where these vibrations emanate from. Purring begins from an early age and continues into adult life. The vibrations are produced by the rapid movement of the muscles in the voice box. During inhalation and exhalation, the air touches the vibrating muscles causing a purr. The purrs are different as some may be high pitched while others are heard as a low rumble. On one hand, the purrs as so faint that you need to be so close to the cat to hear them whereas some are very loud. Cats are attention seekers and they have perfected the act using the purr and meow combination. This combination is common when they are hungry and they use the solicitation purr to let you know it’s mealtime. When pet parents hear the solicitation purr, they respond in a similar way a mother will respond to a baby’s cry. This shows how domesticated pups have adapted to live with and be nurtured by humans.
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Conclusion
Purring is a form of communication among the felines. It may indicate contentment or distress and it is, therefore, important for pet owners to study the cat’s behavior to respond appropriately. We hope our insight helped answer the question of why do cats purr?