What Does it Mean When Cats Purr? How & Why Do Cats Purr?

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What Does it Mean When Cats Purr? How & Why Do Cats Purr?

A Cat purring is one of the most soothing sounds you can hear from your pet. However, did you know that the purr of your cat can mean different things?

The common perception is that cats purr when happy. However, that is not always the case. At times cats purr when they are frightened, injured or hungry.

In fact, studies also show that purring at certain frequencies stimulates the regeneration of their bones… Believe it or not!

#1 How Do Cats Purr?

The purring of cats is a form of communication, typically meant for near distances and aimed at dear ones.

The reason is that cats purr at a volume and frequency which is too low to travel too far. Purring is often associated with positive situations such as grooming, nursing, being friendly or relaxed.

More often than not, a cat purring may be simply soothing or rather self-soothing, since cats might also purr in stress-inducing situations.

An analogy would be that cats purr at stressful times akin to how we humans sooth ourselves by laughing, crying or distracting ourselves.

#2 Do Cats Purr When in Pain?

It has also been observed that when a cat is injured, another cat indulges in “purr therapy” by purring at each other.

One can draw a conclusion that the purring has positive soothing effect in bringing about mental relief to the injured cat.

Studies have also been done which show that this “purr therapy” may have a bone healing and tissue repairing effect. Household cats purr at an auditory frequency of twenty-six hertz, and this range promotes regeneration of injured tissue.

Even though this may seem like a flight of fancy and extremely vivid imagination, actually it is not as far-fetched as it may seem.

An analogy would be the use of high impact exercising to help increase bone health as bones respond to high pressure by making themselves stronger.

#3 Why Do Cats Purr?

There appears to be a causal correlation between purring by cats and stimulation of their bones to ensure that they don’t become brittle or weak.

It is a fact that certain vibration devices having a purring effect have been patented to potentially use in physical therapy.

Some researchers have also proposed the use of using vibrating plates and strapping them to the feet of astronauts who are on long space flights to ensure retention of optimal bone density.

This effect of tissue regeneration and bone healing potentially caused by purring could be one of the reasons why cats can survive falls from higher places and also recover from surgeries faster than other animals such as dogs.

#4 When Cats Purr?

Another reason why cats purr could be simply because it is hungry and wants to be fed.

Researchers from the UK did a study on the sounds that cats make when hungry as compared to the purrs by the cat when they aren’t.

The nature and sound of the purrs are definitely different.

It has been observed that when cats purr due to hunger, they have a tendency of combining their natural purr along with a mew or an unpleasant cry, very similar to a human baby’s cry.

This leads to their owners responding favorably and quicker, as in feeding them.

As enumerated above, there may be various reasons why your cat is purring and the best way to decode what it means when your cat purrs is to observe its allied behavior to know the reason.