What Causes Purring in Cats

What Does Purring in a Cat Mean?

Cats purr when they feel comfortable, content, happy, secure and loved. Most often cats will begin purring once you start petting them. Some cats will simple purr when they see you as they identify you as their happy place.

Where Does the Purring Come From in Cats

When you listen to your cat purr it might seem like the purr is coming from your cat's chest or body. In fact the cat is purring from their larynx which is the voice box to us. 

The chest diaphragm and the larynx work simultaneous to produce this sound caused by neural oscillation. According to Encyclopedia Britannica for neural oscillations to occur two parts must act together to produce the cause. Air is inhaled by the cat that then touches the larynx and as the air is exhaled out it produced the purr in the cat. 

That is why you sometimes think that the noise is coming from inside their body.

Different Types of Cat Purrs

The Welcome Home Purr

This is the purr you get upon entering the door once you arrive home after work or school. It’s loud and can sound a bit like chattering and it continues until you pet your cat.

The Just Woken up Purr

This is the purr that greets you from your cat when it first wakes up from a nap and it sees you sitting on the sofa beside it. It will climb up onto your lap for some petting and then it will keep purring for however long you pet it.

The Food Purr

This is the purr that they make when they want food. They want you to know that they are happy but they also want to make you aware that they are hungry.

The Motor Purr

This is the purr you might get first thing in the morning when you meet your cat in the kitchen. They want attention, food and petting in that order. So you are trying to meet all the criteria and you might think they purr faster to get your attention.

The Occasional Purr

If your cat isn’t big into purring, then this is the purr that is so rare that when you do hear it from your cat, it means the world to you as you know that they are truly happy living with you.

The Purr with Saliva

Some cats produce extra saliva while purring, so while they are purring they are also spilling saliva onto your hand.

Why Does a Cat Not Purr?

If your rescue cat doesn’t purr for a while after you have adopted it, then don’t get too stressed out about it. Most often rescue cats will need a little extra time to become comfortable in their new surroundings.

Once they begin to feel secure and content in their new home and they learn that you will do them no harm, then you might occasionally hear a low frequency purr.  

It could take a few weeks of care and affection before your cat will trust you enough to feel comfortable. But once you begin to hear that low purr that that will gradually become louder in frequency, then you know that your cat feels comfortable in their new home.

How to Get a Cat to Purr

Give it time

If you have just adopted a new cat, then it will take a while for them to become comfortable living in a new place.

Lots of Affection

If you want a cat to feel secure in your home, then love and affection is the only thing that will help. You need to pet your cat loads and interact with them either by letting them stay in the same room as you during the day or using toys to play with them.

Give It a Home

If your cat lives outside and is never allowed inside the house, then the chances of you developing a relationship with in will be zero. Outdoor cats are more independent and all they will require from you is food. If you show no interest in getting to know them, then they will find another home that will. So let your cat inside your home and engage with it.

Treats

All cats love little treats. You can bribe them to do almost anything. So if your cat does something you approve of, show your approval by give it a pet and then a treat to reinforce positive feedback.

Conclusion

So if you have a new cat and you aren’t hearing any purring from it yet, don’t worry too much. Give your cat some time. But in the meanwhile give it lots of affection and once it begins to trust you, it will then eventually start purring.