Do You Know Why Cats Purr?

Ever wondered why cats purr? On this episode of Vetsplanation, Dr. Sugerman uncovers the surprising science behind cat purring. From communication with kittens to self-healing powers, find out why this behavior is more than just a sign of contentment. Perfect for cat lovers and pet owners looking to deepen their understanding of feline behavior. Don’t miss out – tune in today! 

What you will learn:

• Different reasons why cats purr beyond happiness
• The role of purring in cat communication and self-soothing
• How purring frequencies may aid in healing bones, muscles, and wounds
• The impact of cat purring on human health, including heart attack risk and migraines
• Differences in purring behaviors between domestic cats and wild cats
• Challenges researchers face in studying cat purring
• The unique "solicitation purr" used by cats to get attention and food

Transcript

Dr. Sugerman: 0:00

Have you ever wondered why cats purr? These mysterious creatures have a unique way of expressing themselves, and purring is more than just a form of communication to them. Welcome to Vetsplanation, the podcast that helps you understand your pets better. I'm your host and cat dad, Dr. Sugerman. So let's dive into this fascinating mystery of why cats purr. So a common misconception is that cats purr only when they're happy. While they do purr when they're content, that's not the only reason. Some people believe that they purr to communicate, but cats often purr when no one else is around too. Research shows that purring is a really complex behavior reflecting a range of emotions. Cats might purr when they're alone, but it's also common when someone else is nearby, whether it's another cat, a different species, or a human. This suggests that purring isn't solely for communication. Perhaps they're just talking to themselves for all we know, just like we do, right? So why do cats purr? Observations suggest various reasons. The most obvious one we talked about was happiness. When cats feel safe, they show really relaxed body language, stretching out or closing their eyes while they're laying down. Purring in these moments is likely their way of showing their comfort and their enjoyment and often in response to petting. Did you know though, that cats have really special sensors around like the base of their ears and the sides of their eyes? So these are often their favorite places to be petted and not necessarily on their back. Cats also purr when they're scared, distressed, angry, or even anxious. The vibration of the purring might actually help calm them, acting as like a self soothing mechanism. If a cat purrs when someone else is nearby and they're anxious, it might actually be their way of asking for company during a really stressful time. Mother cats also use purring as a form of communication with their kittens. A few days after birth, kittens start purring. They likely learn this from their mothers as a form of really quiet communication. This is also similar to teaching children before they can speak sign language to try to help them express their needs. For feral cats though, even purring can be too loud and too risky, which is why some kittens may not actually learn to purr. Not all cats do actually purr. Cats also have a really special purr, though known as a solicitation pur, which mimics a crying baby and triggers an instinctual response to us humans to care for them. So they often use this when they want their food or treats. Cats are super smart, obviously, so I'm sure in the morning when they come up to you and wake you up and they do this solicitation purr. You just be like, yeah, I know what you're doing. But interestingly, cats purrs have a frequency of somewhere between 20 to 50 hertz, which falls within this acoustic range for healing bones, muscles, and wounds. How cool is that? So this might explain why cats often purr when they're alone in a hospital settings. We see that quite often. They're potentially using this really cool healing superpower, essentially, to be able to help heal themselves. It is shown that a purring cat has been linked to about a 40 percent lower risk of heart attacks in pet parents and may help alleviate things even like migraines as well. They're not just domestic cats purr either, so do servals, bobcats, ocelots, and pumas. The cat family is divided into those that purr and those that can roar. So small cats have a harder vocal cord for purring, while large cats like lions, leopards, jaguars, and tigers actually have a really soft vocal cord and that helps them to roar instead. Interestingly though, there is one animal that does not know how to purr or roar and that would be the snow leopard. So humans have lived with cats for about 12,000 years, and while their purr is one of the most familiar animal sounds, we still don't fully understand how it works. Research on deceased cats has shown that purring can occur without the brain input or any muscle contractions. So that contradicts our old belief that it involved an active muscle control, that the cats had to actively think about purring in order to be able to purr. But since cats can't purr on command, studying this in cats is actually really challenging. They would have to use these electrodes that they put into their vocal cords and put them through an MRI, which is very stressful and very loud, and so it's not really a good way to be able to study them when they're alive in order to be able to see how they actually purr. But, to sum this up, purring is a multifaceted behavior. Cats purr when they're happy, when they're scared, when they're distressed, angry, or anxious. They use purring to help communicate with their kittens and to train us for food and treats. And remarkably, purring might also have healing property for both cats and for their human counterparts. While dogs are often seen as an emotional support animal, cats with their calming purrs can really help with anxiety and even with heart conditions. So have your cats ever purred when they were nervous? Or have their purrs ever helped you feel less anxious? Share your experiences in our comments, and don't forget to subscribe and learn more about your pets and their health. So thank you for listening to Vetsplanation. As always, make sure to keep your pets happy, healthy and safe. We'll see you next week.