To this day, how a cat purrs is a mystery, even to scientists. But recently, it looks like a team of researchers may have cracked the purring code! And there’s one fact that might give you pause. Before I explain how they know this, I’ll tell you a surprising fact.
A cat’s purr is probably unintentional!
That’s right, a cat’s purring is an automatic response and apparently cannot be done voluntarily. People can fake a smile, but a cat can’t fake or force a purr. It will happen, or it won’t.
How Research Meets
An international team, led by Austrian voice scientist Christian Herbst studied the larynxes of eight cats. The cats, ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years, all have terminal illness. When it came time to euthanize them, the owners voluntarily allowed their cats’ larynxes to be donated to this study. So you can thank these people for serving this research during this sad time.
Each larynx was flash frozen with liquid nitrogen until it was time to do the study. They focus on the part of the larynx that involves purring, which pads the vocal folds. These pads create deep, low-frequency vibrations that would otherwise not be possible in small cats with small vocal folds.
Now here comes the interesting part. When the pads are pushed together and warm, humidified air is blown over them, they create purrs. Without any muscle contractions, and without neural stimulation. (Because of course, they have larynxes and no other cat parts.)
The fact that conscious muscle contraction did not control the purrs was a surprise to the researchers. And while it didn’t completely prove that cats never use muscles during purring, it did show that it can and does happen.
What is not yet known
So now we know more about how cats purr, but why is there still a question that hasn’t been fully answered. We know that cats purr when they are happy, and sometimes when they are in pain. Older research has shown that the vibration and frequency of purring aid in healing.
Wouldn’t it be great if scientists developed ways to use purring to help improve cat health? Or even human welfare! Maybe it’s not as far as you think.
Have you noticed anything strange about your cat’s purr? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
Here are some other fun facts about cats:
