Hello Everyone,
I’m sitting here petting our kitty as he’s purring away. I’m just wondering, Is his purring something he consciously controls or is it involuntary?
about purring actually im told both … they can do it to get attention but it just comes naturally when they get emotional … now if they can start pouring well I’m in trouble as they can help themselves to the food bac …
Arrrg, pouring=purring. Stupid auto correct. I missed the edit window.
Fixed.
Postgrad students write theses on this stuff. There is even debate about how they make the noise. Basically, of course, they are actually aliens (cats - not students) who landed in Egypt about five centuries ago and set about enslaving the human race.
I have it on excellent authority (i.e. my cat) that the entire reason humans evolved was to take care of cats.
Since one-week-old kittens can purr, it seems safe to say it does not necessarily require too much deliberate intent.
Bob++, I think they’ve been around a little longer than 500 years. 
Thank you
The Master Speaks, which almost answers your question.
Oops - five millennia.
My 2 Siamese cats don’t purr alot. When the dryer is on they are in the cat bed. They purr so loud it surprises people.
Meeko purrs more than Bear. I have heard her purr at her favorite food while she’s eating.
Note that purring could be both involuntary and subject to control. This is the case for breathing in humans - and probably many other animals.