We come home and a blissful purr greets us. The person in charge looks at us. She knows that we will soon greet and pet her. The anticipation makes them emit the vibrating sounds. This expectation of happiness to follow is one of the reasons cats purr. But there are many more reasons for this.
Baby's response to mother's care
When the mother cat licks and nurses her newborns, she always purrs. The answer comes promptly: a gentle purring of the children testifies to their happiness. Kittens associate purring with well-being throughout their lives. If no conspecific is available, they just purr at themselves - or at their humans.
I like that - keep it up
Cats show that they are completely satisfied when they are petted, allowed to lie on their laps or snuggle up to their people with their rhythmic growling. In doing so, they signal that the physical closeness of people is good for them and at the same time demand that the human hand continue to scratch their neck or gently stroke their back.
We belong together, so let's not fight
Purring is also one of the soothing signals: when two cats have just argued or one of them is blocking the other's way to the best place to sleep , one cat will purr its tongue over the other's head. If she tolerates that, there will be peace again.
I have an appetite - when will there be something delicious?
This is a learned behavior. When cats ask for something from us, they look straight at us, cooing and purring, knowing we can't resist. That's right, because we humans are not up to the endurance of a begging cat .
Pain go away!
Cats suffering from muscle or tendon pain, and those with damaged bones, literally purr themselves healthy. Because the vibrations that the purr triggers have a health-promoting effect. Broken bones heal faster, the muscles and tendons are loosened by the vibration - the pain gradually disappears. This has now been scientifically proven.
Dont worry so much
With their fine senses, cats perceive the mood of their people. They sense when he is sad or ill and seek his closeness. Then they purr and rub their heads against the human body. In fact, his blood pressure then drops and his mood rises because the human body releases happiness hormones - the cat's body as well.
Purring is contagious
Behavioral scientists have proven this. When one animal in a group of cats starts to purr, it doesn't take long for it to become a chorus of purrs. The relaxing effect spreads to everyone. With farm cats, you can often see how all velvet paws purr themselves into a longer nap in this way.
way to inner peace
After a shock or a tremendous fright, many cats shake and then crouch into a hiding place, where they begin to purr. Cats that are stressed by noise or too much hustle and bustle also purr away. This has a similar effect as the "Ommm!" with us humans. Heartbeat and pulse slow down, breathing becomes even again, the cat calms down.
How does it actually work?
It is not yet clear how and with what cats purr. There are various theories but no evidence. Impulses from the larynx are possible, causing the glottis to vibrate. Also under discussion is the breathing air that passes the hyoid bone and thus triggers the vibrations. Some researchers suggest that flaps of skin near the vocal cords act like extra vocal cords and are made to vibrate through breathing. The fact is that not all members of the cat family can purr, only the so-called small cats. The big ones like lions, tigers and leopards can roar instead, which in turn is not possible for our domestic cats.
Only cats can do that
Feel free to try it: Sing while inhaling and exhaling. That will not do. Cats, on the other hand, do it perfectly. Between 20 and 30 vibrations per second trigger the purr when breathing out and breathing in. All in a low audio frequency. This is between 27 and 40 Hz when inhaling and 16 - 28 Hz when exhaling. In addition, the cat can even meow, eat or drink without interrupting the purr. A technique that only cats can master.
Does purring work for us too?
Because low-frequency, weak alternating current (10 - 100 Hz) is used against pain, for muscle stimulation and to prevent osteoporosis and special vibration devices, which also have a low frequency effect on the human body, are intended to reduce the risk of bone fractures, scientists are trying to clarify whether the purring of a cat - for example on a human's stomach - has a similar effect due to its vibrations. The first results are promising, but this has not been definitively proven. After all, the purring of the cat creates a sense of well-being in humans, which in turn has a positive effect on strengthening the immune system and self-healing power. However, the doctors do not want to completely rule out the possibility that the cat's purring is a kind of physical therapy for humans.
