Sunday, 17 april 022Many people think that when a cat purrs it means that the animal is happy and satisfied. However, did you know that cats also purr when they feel sick or scared?
When a cat purrs, signals are sent to the muscles of the voice box as well as the diaphragm, which expands the chest when breathing. This signal stimulates the cat's vocal cords to vibrate.
So, when a cat breathes in and out, air moves across these twitching muscles, producing a purring sound. Cats purr during inhalation and exhalation, so the sound is almost continuous.
In addition, according to some experts purring in cats may have evolved as a mechanism to keep the cat's bones and muscles in tip-top shape.
So what are the reasons cats purr?
Many different situations can cause a cat to purr, leading to many theories as to why they do it. Well, here are the generally accepted reasons why cats purr.
1. Being in a Comfortable Situation
Generally, cat owners see their cat purring when the animal is feeling happy or satisfied. Roughly similar to how a dog wags its tail.
For example, cats usually purr when they are on your lap. Sometimes they will tap feet, hands, or blankets. This form of nonverbal communication tells you that your beloved cat is very happy with the current situation.
Your cat may also associate its purr with positive interactions with you.
2. Treating Himself
Ever heard of a cat purring after giving birth? What do you think the grunting means? There are allegations that cats use their purrs as a form of self-medication and pain control.
According to research, cats purr at a frequency that helps stimulate healing, especially in the bones and tendons. Snoring also works to reduce pain, ease breathing, and build muscle, among other health benefits.
3. Calm down
What about the cat purring at the veterinary hospital? Cats are thought to use their purr as a mechanism to calm themselves and reduce stress.
Frightened cats are often seen purring. You can see this in cat shelters, where cats are scared and anxious.
4. Guiding His Children
Another reason cats purr is to guide their newborn cubs. The vibrations that occur during purring help direct the kitten to its mother.
Kittens are born blind and deaf, and they depend on their mother to provide their first milk (called colostrum). The thing that needs to be underlined in some cases is that a cat's purr has a different meaning than what has been described above.
So how can we tell what it means when a cat purrs? Well, try to look at the context of the cat's behavior and the cat's situation around it. If your pet cat purrs at home but is acting differently than usual and doesn't want to play with you, they may be feeling scared and hurt.
Those are some of the reasons cats like to purr, always pay attention to the cat's movements, maybe by snoring your cat is not doing well.
If your pet cat is not behaving as usual, especially if they also purr, contact your vet for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Lead image from unsplash