The purring of a cat is a feeling of tranquility and happiness that cannot be explained until you have a cat lying on your chest purring while we cuddle it. Few people know how a cat manages to emit that vibration, why it does it when we caress it and what its use is. Along the lines of this text we will learn all that and we will become experts in cats.
If you have a cat, you've probably wondered about purring, so today we're going to clear things up. Cats tend to purr quite easily, especially when we're massaging and petting them, and even when we're brushing their fur. Purring develops around a week old , and at that stage, it helps them communicate with their mother. Purring is also an innate trait in felines.
The fact that a cat purrs is a sign of good health, as is a cat grooming itself frequently, but continuing with those small rhythmic vibrations that come from its throat, we must say that it is not a simple process and that it has science speechless because of this innate ability.
How does a cat purr?
Cats are wonderful beings, but they do not have any extra organs specially designed to purr, they simply have a special ability where the anatomy of the diaphragm, larynx, subtle deviation of air and regular nerve impulses are intermingled. If a cat does not purr, it is because one of the factors involved may fail, so we should consult the vet.
How cats purr was a great mystery until recently, but now we know with some certainty how they manage to purr, and the ease with which they do so is astonishing. But it's anything but simple, since, to achieve that characteristic purr, the cat must develop a rather complex neuromuscular system in its first days of life.
According to this latest theory by scientists, the vocal folds in the larynx make sounds when inhaling and exhaling air, and this sound regularity is the result of neural impulses. Cats convert the vocal folds into a rhythmic oscillation thanks to the laryngeal musculature. This is how the glottis opens and closes, producing the vibrations that we call purring. It is an incessant neural task, where the brain must turn that rhythm on and off.
Domestic cats usually purr for less than 50 milliseconds, let's imagine for a second having to repeatedly close and open their hand for whole minutes several times a day. The cat's neuromuscular system is highly developed and fascinates science.
Why do cats purr?
There are many who think they know why their cat purrs, but there certainly isn't one meaning, rather there could be several. Let's say that, since it is an innate ability in them, they are also the ones who decide when to use it and when not to use it.
It is unknown if cats are capable of adapting and altering their purring to get something in return, such as a prize, food, game, etc. So unknown is this aspect that it is known that cats can purr too, even if they are alone. This further confuses science.
It has always been said that cats purr when they are comfortable, happy and pleased , but we are mistaken, since those rhythmic vibrations also happen when the little feline is unhappy, scared, in pain, sick , etc.
This is why the conclusions are that the purring of cats is a form of communication to express an intense feeling, good or bad. Another hypothesis is that this ability is activated as a white flag, that is, to indicate that it is not a threat.
Another group of scientists has come to the conclusion that purring works like sports, that is, it creates certain stimuli that last in the bones, activates metabolism and generates new bone cells, and bone tissue is capable of repairing itself. .
Continuing with this crazy theory, they say that cats are not very active animals and that in the periods in which they are resting, purring helps to strengthen the bones. So much so that vibration training already exists among elite athletes to strengthen muscles, bones, tissues, and more. It also exists in treatments for older people with little muscle mass.
Purposes of purring and benefits for humans
Cats, themselves as sentient and conscious beings, are the only ones who know what they are expressing at each moment with their purring. In addition, there is no single type of purring, but sometimes it is so high-pitched that it can resemble a baby's cry.
To date, part of the mystery has been solved and the different situations in which a cat decides to use its abilities and purr have been analysed. Based on that, it is known that the main objective is to communicate, and that depending on each situation, it communicates something different:
- Strengthen the bond with his master.
- To express your well-being.
- To warn that they are not a threat.
- Help relax those around you.
- To ease the pain they feel and to ease the pain of others (cats and humans).
- Report that they are happy.
- To say that what is happening they like a lot.
- To protect their young.
- To improve your own health.
- To warn that they are enjoying the moment.
- To interact with their own species.
- Because they feel safe and secure.
- As a thank you when someone of his kind is grooming him.
Purring relaxes us, we can't deny it, and it has many benefits for our health and that of the cats themselves, such as the release of serotonin , an important neurotransmitter known as the happiness hormone, which improves emotions, mood, consciousness, calms pain, etc.