Hello there,
I have been informed that no one knows the reason why cats purr, so first of all, is this true?
And secondly, is it true that the vibrations/oscillations of a cat’s purr is equal or similar to that of an ultra sound machine, and because of this, cats do not suffer from muscular problems?
[quote]
And so it is with cats purring. We cannot purr, so we are interested in how cats can do it. It turns out that domestic cats, some wild cats like pumas and mountain lions (in general, any big cat that cannot roar) and even raccoons are all able to purr. Humans happen to smile and laugh when they are happy, and dogs wag their tails. So it is not unusual for an animal to have a physical reaction to happiness. Cats show happiness by purring. They may also purr when startled or upset.
It turns out that cats have special wiring! The wiring travels from the brain to the muscles in the voice box, and this wiring is able to vibrate the muscles so that they act as a valve for air flowing past the voice box. The muscles work both during inhalation and exhalation, which creates the impression that cats can purr continuously. The air passes through the valve, which opens and closes rapidly to create the purring sound.[/qoute]
Hey! Why didn’t that work like i wanted it to?
Sorry…
The Purrfect Master Speaks: Why do cats purr?
Not to second-guess Cecil, but I have been around cats all my life, and have never heard one purr when “frightened or badly hurt.”
Because your [/qoute] was misspelled.
Haha, yeah :smack:
I also meant to say that that quote came from:
Cecil’s answer was much more in depth anyway.
I have: my first cat when she got the blow to the head that eventually killed her, and my present cat when she was a kitten and my dad stepped on her.
Not to say that Cecil is right about anything involving cats, but a small queen belonging to my college roommate purred throughout the duration of delivering eight good-sized kittens, which took awhile and couldn’t have been comfortable.
Working for a vet I have had the unfortunate duty to be around several cats who were badly hurt, and some of them did purr. Every cat I have been around while having kittens has purred during delivery.
As far as the frightened part, as a cat trapper I have been responsible for frightening many cats, and I have never heard one purr. I have had them cuss me (you can tell when you’re being cussed no matter what language it’s in) and I have had tomcats pee on me, but I have never heard one purr while frightened.
Wish I knew what it was about some kitties who make a trilling warble instead of a purr. One of the brood queens who hangs out in Catville does this, and some of her babies exhibit the same voice.
I have. Noel purrs when she gets scared. Whenever we take her to the vet’s they have a heard time taking her temp because she purrs so hard.
Uh, make that “they have a hard time GETTING HER HEARTBEAT” rather than “taking her temp.”
:smack:
I was going to say that’s some purr if it makes her vibrate so hard they can’t get the thermometer in back there…
My cat purrs while he’s exploring new parts of the condo building. I think it’s a way to keep up a bit of audible contact in an tense situation with his cat posse …er…well, with me in his case.
I think that the purr when scared thing is a “don’t hurt me I’m cute” reaction from my cat. She purrs when she’s about to catch hell for doing something BAD and usually rolls over into a submissive position. Fortunately, she’s never been hurt badly, but I’ve seen some cats hurt very badly still purr. In the vet clinic, it is often a life-preserver as even the hard-heartedest vet can’t euth a cat that is purring. I had a vet recap the syringe after wiping down the cat’s leg with alcohol and having me hold off the vein. The syringe was literally pressed against her skin, and he stopped because she was purring to beat the band. Another cat had an arrow clear through her leg and was not only purring, but was rolling as much as a cat with an arrow through its leg can.
“no one knows why cats purr”? I daresay most of us have a pretty good idea what will and will not make most cats purr. Why they make that specific sound? Well, I’m not sure theyre is a reason. It’s just a sound they can make, and it works. Why does “party” mean party? (BTW, cats aren’t the only animals that purr)
While I can’t say I’ve ever fed a cat’s purr into a spectruma analyzer, it is generally a low frequency sound, and ultrasound is very high frequency. If a cat purred in the ultrasonic range, you wouldn’t be able to hear them. On the other hand, a lot of human gear (e.g. televisions, brake pads, the inaudible IF of radio recievers, etc.) bathe us in high frequency sounds, which are in the ultrasonic range. We just don’t notice because we can’t hear them.
Here’s a recent discussion that should offer some info.
Oh wait, you started that one too… :dubious:
The frequency of a cat’s purr, about 26 Hertz, is about the same as an idling diesel engine. It’s definitely not similar to an ultrasound machine- 26 Hertz is near the low end of the range of human hearing. Ultrasound is sound above the high end of the range of human hearing- 20,000 Hertz or higher.
Even if cats did purr ultrasonically, what would that have to do with muscle problems or jumping?
Cats are a Slinky covered with Jello. They don’t have muscles, just something in there that stretches and bounces. How else could a cat fall from 85 feet from a tree and survive? (CNN)
I think that there is one big cat brain, (someplace no one dares to go) controlling all kitty cats. For what reason, nobody knows.
Be afraid. :eek: