Pay more attention the next time your cat is purring, and maybe you can figure out the reason why. All Rights Reserved. Powered by. Press enter to begin your search. Close Search. No Comments. 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. The purr from a happy cat may also be of benefit to human health Credit: Alamy.
Most of us feed the cat before ourselves, which shows how effective their communication is. With this deeper knowledge, the bond between cat and owner can only grow. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.
Ask a Stupid Question Animal. Share using Email. By Stephen Dowling 25th July But if that neural oscillator is triggered, is it just when a cat is happy? But only sometimes. Inside the ordinary low purr was a higher frequency cry, somewhat like a meow. 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?
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