Purring

 

Purring

Herschel wraps his toes

A purring cat is a comforting, warming thing on a lap, not for everyone, of course. Domestic cats are unique in being able to purr while inhaling and exhaling. There are some who dislike cats for many reasons.

Herschel is quite choosy about laps, generally preferring to use them as stepping stones to more interesting locations, and saving his purring company for prone bodies in bed.

Here's looking at you.

We wondered, for the umpteenth time, if big cats purred. We seemed to remember that they didn’t but checked anyway. Big cats can roar but not purr, because of the anatomy of their throats.

You called?

In Felis, the domestic cats and the smaller wild cats, delicate bones, the hyoid bones, extend from the back of the tongue to the base of the skull. The cat vibrates its larynx which sets the hyoid bones thrumming. It is not clear why cats purr. One theory suggests that it is a way of masking the cries of young kittens, thus keeping them safe from predators. Another is that it is a means of communication between mother and offspring. The small kittens, being both blind and deaf at birth, sense the vibrations and move towards them. Kittens purr from the moment they’re born as a way of letting their mother know where they are.

The big cats or Panthera also have hyoid bones, but they are bigger and joined to the skull with thick cartilage. This allows the larynx the flexibility to produce loud roars, but not the delicacy of purring.

So, the cats are divided into two classes, the purring cats and the roaring cats. It is lions that roar most often, the other big cats restricting themselves to snarling and grunting, hissing and coughing.

The largest of the purring cats is the cougar. It is the only member of the Puma family and is not considered a ‘big cat.’ It is also known as the mountain lion, and the panther, not to be confused with the black panther, which is a black form of both the leopard and the jaguar.

The next largest of the purring cats is the cheetah. It is the only surviving member of its family, the Acinonyx. It differs from all other cats, big and small, in having claws that are not fully retractable.

Most people assume that a purring cat is a happy, relaxed cat. However, it may be feeling stressed. There will be other signs, like flattened ears, wide pupils and whiskers pointing forward, to tell an onlooker that a cat is uncomfortable or in pain.  Cats also purr to soothe themselves . . . ‘The low frequency vibrations of a cat’s purr are suspected to promote bone and tissue growth and lessen pain and swelling.’

Stroking a cat’s silky fur is a pleasurable experience and purring seems like a sign of gratitude from a cat. Stroking is a form of stimulation and can become less a pleasure for the cat and more of a provocation if it becomes too intense. A cat may then react by nipping or grabbing the hand in its paws, sometimes all four at once, and kicking. As with all animals, including humans, it is wise to pay attention to body language.