It’s true: your cat purrs with happiness when he lies on top of you. But also when he looks out of a sunny window. And he purrs when you brush him (if he enjoys brushing) or when he gets a cuddle from his favourite human. But, although it’s usually a sound your feline makes when he’s happy and content, there’s a lot more behind the sound than we think.
Why does my cat like to sit on my computer so much?
Learn more
How do cats purr? More than just a vibration
If you live with a cat or kitten, you’ve probably wondered why he or she purrs. But also how it produces that distinctive sound: a vibration with an average frequency of 27 Hertz (Hz), which it can produce relentlessly as it exhales or inhales air.
Feline ethologists say that purring is technically a murmur-like cat vocalization: that is, a sound your cat produces with his mouth closed, as opposed to other vocalizations, such as meowing, for which he needs to open his mouth. There’s more: the purr is the lowest frequency feline vocalization; much lower than the meow, but also lower than the growl or snort of a frightened cat.
The question is how cats create this distinctive sound. Well, it comes from the contraction of the muscles of the larynx when the mouth is closed (hence, its name of vocalization in murmur) and during his breathing. In fact, your cat’s purr is heard both when breathing in and when breathing out, giving it the rhythmic cadence that we love, and that your feline can maintain for relatively long periods of time.
Each cat has its own purr
However, the frequency ofhe purr (i.e. whether it sounds louder or quieter) depends on the cat. The same goes for the volume: some cats purr a lot louder than others.
Thus, there are people who believe that their cat “does not purr”. Although it does, but at a low volume. And the opposite: there are those who purr at such a high volume that some people can’t sleep in the same room as their feline. Purrr.
Why does your cat purr, and what does it want to tell you?
As you suspect, the most common reason for purring is to communicate a pleasant feeling: your cat is telling you that he’s happy and loves you. Or that he’s glad you’re back home. He also purrs when he sleeps with another cat friend (if he has the chance).
In fact, cats start purring when they are very young and even cat mothers purr while cleaning their kittens: cats are born blind and deaf and (as well as being guided by smell) purring helps them to find their mother’s breast.
But there are more reasons: because felines also purr when they are hungry or want something from you: for example, to get out of bed. In fact, the nocturnal activity of cats, and how to get them to let us sleep through the night, is a frequent reason for feline behavioural consultations.
This type of purring is known as a “solicitation purr” and your cat usually purrs louder and faster: unlike the pleasurable purr, it contains higher frequency peaks (around 380 Hz). In other words, your cat also purrs when it wants something from you, for example, if you open that can of tuna that it likes so much, or if you give it some attention for once.
And it works: a study by the University of Sussex conducted an acoustic analysis of this solicitation purr: and indeed, when we hear it, we notice the urgency, and perceive it as less pleasurable than the usual purr.
There’s more: sometimes your cat’s purr can express pain, or grief. In fact, veterinarians say that felines purr when they are very sick, or dying. So, interpreting a cat’s purr is not as simple as we sometimes think. And we can’t assume that, because he purrs, our cat is happy. [Find out, also, what your cat asks you when it meows].
So, what does my cat want with that purr?
Now, it’s no coincidence that most of us associate our cat’s or kitty’s purr with a pleasant emotion: happiness is still the main reason for purring.
And a cat purring in your lap is most likely telling you how happy she is to have you. It’s simply his purring way of letting you know how much he loves you.
No Comment