Do you know what purring is?

Whoever has a cat knows the delicious feeling of having the pussy on his lap, making that nice little noise, like a “little engine”, the so-called purr. This type of vocalization in domestic cats is closely linked to times when they are quiet and relaxed.

Does purr mean relaxation?

The reality is not quite that. Cats also purr in other situations associated not just with good sensations. For example, it is common for cats to purr intensely when giving birth, at times when they are having painful contractions.

I’ve also heard reports of pussies being rescued after being hit by serious injuries, which were purring loudly. Cats that have a health problem can also walk away, hiding in some corner and making noise.

It is not clear what the “efficacy” of purring in these situations is. Scientists speculate that perhaps the frequency of sound produced internally has some function of relieving physical discomfort. It would be as if cats could do something to relieve their bad feelings, but there is no evidence yet to prove this hypothesis.

The purr can be called

Purring as a form of communication of these animals was analyzed by the researcher Karen McComb, who has done some studies on animal communication. She was intrigued by the different purr that her cat emitted when she wanted food. Talking to other tutors, she noticed that some of the pets also purred in a peculiar way when they were interested in feeding.

So she recorded 10 different cats purring when they were relaxed and when they were asking for food. Fifty volunteers were asked to listen to the recordings and show the differences they perceived among the sounds. Most of the volunteers were able to identify that the purring of a cat for food seemed more urgent and less pleasant than that issued while the pussy was relaxed.

The food request has a more pronounced peak of frequency, similar to a child crying. That is, the human being tends to fulfill this “request” more quickly. This is another function of the “motor”: to serve as a way of communicating a need.

It is necessary to analyze the

Before stating without a doubt that a purring cat is relaxed and relaxed, it is important to pay attention to the context of the situation, to see if other behaviors or body postures are different, perhaps to identify some need that needs to be answered at the moment.

It is worth remembering that pussies are also able to communicate with us through their body expressions and vocalizations, in addition to purring. We just need to “read” the signs to understand them better.