• Question: how and why do cats purr?

    Asked by Tree to Sheila, Piyush, Natalia, Gary, Dimitar on 3 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Sheila Castilho

      Sheila Castilho answered on 3 Nov 2018:

      I’m not a vet or biologist but I love cats so much I can try to answer that!

      So cats purr for a few different reasons. We generally see them purring when they are happy/relaxed and you feel they really love you! But they also purr when they are under stress/frightened or feeling threatened. Like when they are hurt or you’re taking them to the vet. It’s a bit like when people smile when they are very nervous.

      Apparently, the purring starts in the cat’s brain which sends messages to the laryngeal muscles, causing them to vibrate. This causes the vocal cords to separate when the cat inhales and exhales, producing a purr.

      Cats’ purr have been shown to be therapeutic for bone growth, pain relief and wound healing. So that’s why they poor when they are hurt as well.

      The most interesting fact for me is that cats’ purr is also therapeutic for humans! And there are many of us that, under stress, run to our kittens to hear them purr! Humans who don’t have cats sometimes even look for videos of cats purring to alleviate their stress!

      The last fact I know it’s true because I do it myself =)

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