Why Do Cats Purr?
Most people will immediately answer this question in their heads with something like this, "Because they are happy", or, "Because they are enjoying themselves."
Unfortunately, this is far from the true, and it is only a part of the answer. Sure - cats purr when they are happy. However, there is a dozen more situations where your cat will purr, and they have nothing to do with joy and happiness.
Purring for attention
Cats do not wake you up every morning with their purring in order to show you how they enjoy your company, they do so because, well, they want to wake you up. In fact, purring to get your attention is a learned behavior in cats, which means your kitty knows very well about your weakness.
The healing powers of the purr
Research showed that cats purr when they are injured, in pain, and even small kittens that are just born purr. Cats purr right before dying, as well. So why do we keep linking purring with pleasure? In fact, some experts claim that the frequency of purring has some sort of a physio-therapeutic quality. Imagine that.
Purring when in danger
Sometimes, cats will resort to purring when they are in danger, so linking all of the purring to pleasure and happiness really makes no sense. Felines will resort to purring in a lot of situations, and we need to know how to listen to the little twists in the purrs. We will eventually distinguish different purrs for different situations.
Purring is a positive vibration
One of the most important things about the lovely sound of purring is that it gives the auditory stimulus to relaxation and peacefulness. In fact, research shows that cat purrs are positive reinforcements to our behaviors, but that listening to purring makes us feel better about things in general. I'm sure the cat owners can vouch for this.
This about explains the soothing noise we all link to pleasure and happiness. In case you are interested in reading more about cat behavior, you can visit Cats and Affection | How Cats Show Love and Stop Your Cat From Scratching You and Your Furniture.
If you have something to add, or a funny story about your cat, you can share it in the comment below!
