I’m a cat person, and the purr of a cat has been my lullaby. The purrs of cats are contentment and happiness. They are loved and cared for and of course, love their humans.
How cats purr
Many studies have been done, and one of the theories is that this process begins in the cat’s brain. It starts as a repetitive neural oscillator and sends out messages to laryngeal muscles that cause them to twitch. The purring starts, and due to its low pitch, we can hear it and feel it. While a cat is purring, rub his or her throat, and you’ll think he or she has a little motor in there that they just turned on. According to research, it occurs at a rate of 25 to 150 vibrations per second (Hz).
Purring occurs in both domestic and wild cats and their relatives
So who else purrs? Animals like civets, genets, and mongooses as well as hyenas, guinea pigs, and racoons.
Among the wild cats, there are mountain lions and bobcats. These very big cats can purr, but they cannot roar. The tables get turned when it comes to lions and tigers because these cats can roar, but they cannot purr. Structures which surround their larynx or voice box are not stiff enough to produce a purring sound.
Why cats purr
Even though one of the main reasons that cats purr is that they are showing happiness and contentment, they will also purr when they are frightened or threatened. As with humans who tend to smile not just when they are happy but also when they seem to be nervous and unsure, cats purr perhaps to encourage themselves.
Cats can also use their purrs to entice their humans to either pay more attention to them or feed them quicker. In other words, you might tell a cat to be quiet when they start meowing loudly, but that purring sound might just hypnotize you into doing what the cat wants. Since the cat is not meowing but going on like a little purring machine, you might just find yourself reaching out to pet them or quickly fill up their bowl and put it in front of them.
The purring process of cats is for many other reasons as well, such as purring when they are in pain or labor, when injured or ill, or even near death. As mentioned before it just might be that as they purr they are calming themselves. Soon after birth, even kittens begin to purr. You can be sure that this must be a way of encouraging themselves when it comes to the kittens who have suddenly come out into this big and frightening world.
And is it not comforting to have your cat sit or lay beside you and purr. I have found myself upset or not feeling too well and listening to the purring I have calmed down and even fallen asleep, waking up and feeling a whole lot better.
Number one pets
In the U.S. it has been discovered that cats have become the number one pet over dogs. Cats have shown that they can do a much better job in lowering stress levels in their humans and even blood pressure and it can be as simple as the fact that their purring calms and relaxes.
