Why Do Cats Purr? The Story You May Not Know

By Kevin Highfill

Why Do Cats Purr?


Here is a question that cat owners have asked since the dawn of the domestication of the cat...why do cats purr? Well, the cat is indeed a mysterious entity and often times it's difficult to decipher their behavior, however, there are some standard patterns which can help answer this age old question at least somewhat.

One reason why a cat may meow and purr is that they are simply happy, you probably already sensed that intuitively, and yes, it's true, when your cat is content and satisfied with the world around them, when they are in a post-Lasagna-feasting-Garfield-mood, they love to let the world know it by letting out a soft "thank you" to the cat Gods and Goddesses.

Another reason they may be making this pleasant sound is that they are nursing their young and want to sooth their tiny kittens, make them feel comfortable during their feeding time. It makes sense really, the mother is trying to teach her children to associate warm and love with eating, reinforcing their instinct to eat for survival. This type of purring is most likely instinctual, remember cats are not very far removed from the wild and still retain a lot of their instincts unlike some other pets...like dogs, for instance.

Sometimes cats get scared, just like we do, sometimes more so. If you watch a cat closely they may purr in an attempt to reassure themselves that everything is copacetic.

Sometimes they will enter a room hear a strange noise, perk up their ears and purr in order to soothe their fraying nerves; it truly depends on the cat, some will scatter to the four winds when this type of situation happens.

Cats are very intuitive, that's part of the reason why we adore them so much, they know when we're happy or down, they sense it, and often times our cats are trying to cheer us up when they brush up against our legs with their whiskers and purr after we've had a rotten day. That's part of the joy of having a cat around; they can tune into our emotions and help us transform our feelings from sad to glad.

And, they may purr simply because they want to be social and introduce themselves to our new guests whom they just haven't met yet. Of course, they may hide under the bed for a little while, tip toe up to your friends and slowly engage in this courtly process, after your cat warms up and realizes that there's no danger, they will purr, it is their way of extending a paw in friendship.

When eating something particularly tasty, a cat will sometimes purr, they just can't help themselves; this is a purr that comes from deep down inside.

Why do cats purr? Well, in truth we may never know the entire answer, but it's definitely safe to say that a cat expresses a very wide range of moods and emotions through its vocalization.

Kevin Highfill writes about why do cats purr and other pet related topics at http://www.online4pets.com/.

Article source: EzineArticles.com


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