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Ask a Vet: Why do cats purr?

Saturday, 4 April 2009

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What are these?

Can you tell me why cats purr?

Tracey, Carrickfergus

Seems an easy question, doesn’t it? It means a cat is happy. Or does it? Purring is one of a cat’s most endearing qualities, and we always like to hear it, as it is associated with contentment and reassuring calmness. Yet cats also purr loudly sometimes at the vets, when I am sure they are far from relaxed. Some cats have been observed to purr at the point of death also. We really don’t understand the reasons for these apparently odd times to purr. Purring is believed to be nature’s way for kittens to ‘talk’ to mum, since they can nurse and purr at the same time, while they cannot nurse and miaow together. Some people believe purring at times of stress is a cat’s way of calming him/herself, releasing endorphins from the brain in an attempt to reach a state of euphoria. Purring is yet another thing we don’t fully understand about our complex companions.