How do kittens purr

According to New Scientist readers, cats will also adapt noises like their meow to elicit a response from their owners.

This means that if a cat were to have a deaf owner, it is likely they would meow less once they learned it did not trigger a response. However, the same cat would probably continue to purr, without changing the frequency of the sound.

When cats breathe, they dilate and constrict the glottis, the area around their vocal cords, in a rapid, rhythmic fashion. As the air vibrates over the laryngeal muscles of their larynx, the purring sound occurs.

But why do they purr after a stressful event? In that case, purring would be akin to how humans soothe themselves by crying, laughing, distracting themselves, or even organizing their desk. Some veterinarians and cat enthusiasts have observed cats lying alongside each other and purring when one is injured a behavior termed "purr therapy" , though scientific literature on the subject is scant. Beyond being calming for the injured kitty, "purr therapy" may have bone healing properties.

Domestic cats purr at a frequency of about 26 Hertz, in a range that promotes tissue regeneration. That's not as crazy as it sounds: High-impact exercise promotes bone health for the same reason, because bones respond to pressure by making themselves stronger.

In their natural setting, cats spend a lot of time lying around waiting to hunt, so purring may stimulate bones so that they don't become weak or brittle. In fact, purr-like vibration devices have been patented for potential use in therapy , and some researchers have proposed strapping vibrating plates to astronauts' feet during long space flights to retain bone density.

Such reasons to purr are by no means exclusive. Humans can laugh out of joy, a desire to be polite, when surprised, in discomfort or in derision—and only context will tell an onlooker which is going on.

It would be easier to tell what function the low-frequency rumbles play if we could "de-purr" a cat. But, Buffington notes, what are you going to do, cut off its air supply? You'd lose a cat and learn nothing. If you want to know why your particular favorite feline is purring, Buffington suggests paying attention to what prompted the purring and what it leads to. 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. Sign up for our Newsletter!

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