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The following article appeared in the September 2004 issue of CatWatch, produced by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Article by Ilene Springer.
When your cat snuggles next to you or on your lap and starts that sweet purring, it makes you happy that your feline is content and relaxed. Sometimes you can hear the peaceful rumbling and other times you can just feel it. And when you know that you have had something to do with making your cat purr, it's a wonderful feeling.
Purring is a natural form of expression for cats. Even some big cats--lions, pumas, and cheetahs--purr. But what exactly is purring? What causes it, and why do felines do it?
A kitten is able to purr long before he can open his eyes--often by the second day of life--probably to let his mother know that he is getting enough milk. And the mother cat purrs back, reassuring her kitten that all is well. Some experts believe that this was the original purpose of purring: communication with the mother.
But now we believe that cats purr for many different reasons. The most obvious--and delightful--is the purr of contentment or pleasure. Most cats will purr when being stroked. Some will purr at the mere sound of your voice.
"But cats purr at other times you would not expect," says Linda Mizer, DVM, PhD, senior lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Cats purr when they are frightened, ill or even injured. Mother cats often purr while in labor and giving birth.
Animal behaviorists believe that cats purr under stressful conditions to comfort themselves and to signal to other cats. A frightened cat may purr, for example, to indicate that he is being submissive or non-threatening to other cats. On the other hand, an aggressive cat may purr to let other cats know he is not going to attack.
Some purr specialists believe that purring happens only when the cats choose to purr, along the lines of growling and meowing. "But I don't think purring is always the result of intentional mental effort, but more of an 'automatic' response," says Dr. Mizer. "T There could be numerous stimulating events--both pleasant and unpleasant--that might lead to the same physiological events and result in purring."
The Fauna Communications Research Institute in North Carolina is a nonprofit institute dedicated to the study of animal communication. Founder Elizabeth Vonmuggenthaler--who has received a National Science Foundation grant to study purring--speculates that the vibration of purring seems to help cats in healing themselves from illness or injury, especially when the bones are involved. She also claims that some studies have shown that domestic cats purr at the same frequency as cougars or cheetahs.
(Continued on Page 4)
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