How and Why Cats Purr

By Maureen Fleury

Do you ever notice that when you pet a cat, it usually makes a purring sound? We sometimes call it a cat motor. Some cats have loud motors and others don't. If you gently put your ear next to a cat's throat when she is purring, you can hear and feel the vibration. Some cats will also rub you while purring. Humans smile when we are happy. Dogs wag their tails. Cats purr when they are happy and contented. No one really knows how a cat purrs but many people have ideas as to how it happens.

When we speak or sing or laugh, we have vocal chords in our throat that start to vibrate. As we breathe in and out, the air passes over our vocal chords and that makes the sound come out of our mouth. Cats have vocal chords too but they cannot say words like we do. They talk by purring or meowing or chattering.

Many people think that the vibration of the cat's vocal chords causes the purring sound. It is also believed that the cat's vocal chords can move faster than a human's can. Because the cat's vocal chords move very fast, a purring sound comes out rather than words. If a human's vocal chords could work as fast as a cat's, then we would be able to purr too!

Other people believe that cats are able to force more air into the back of their throats which makes a piece of skin vibrate. This vibration makes the purring sound. Just like when we smile when we are happy, a cat fills his throat with more air.

We know that cats purr when they are happy. A strange thing is that cats purr when they are sick. It is believed that they purr when they are sick because it is a way of trying to make them feel better. Sometimes when we are sick, we try to watch a funny show on TV so it takes our mind away from our illness.

So, nobody knows exactly how a cat is able to purr but we do know that a purring cat makes us happy. Cats love to be stroked gently. Watch them get silly and roll over or stick out their tongues!

About the Author:

Maureen lives in Coquitlam which is a suburb of Vancouver BC Canada with her three boys. In addition to the "humans" in the household, there is a menagerie of 4 cats.

Maureen's interests are animals and computers (more like an obsession). She enjoys online publishing, and running around taking pictures with her digital camera.

Maureen may be contacted by email at mfleury@shaw.ca.

Article courtesy of Suite101.com.