Can Cats Control Their Purring?

Feline owners can notice purring in kittens only a couple of days old. Purring is natural, but an adult cat can learn to control it.

One of the most common myths about cat purring is that it always indicates happiness. The truth is that cats use purring to communicate much more than satisfaction.

Understanding when and why cats purr is essential for effective communication between the pet and the owner.

Why & When Do Cats Purr?

Purring is similar to meowing in the way that cats use it primarily to articulate their feelings to people rather than for inter-species communication.

However, this observation can be argued because wild cat species like cheetahs and cougars also purr and don’t have to communicate their feelings to people.

Kittens meow to indicate to their mother that they’re cold or hungry and purr when they’re happy and well-fed. Meanwhile, adult cats don’t typically vocalize their feelings to other cats, but they continue to purr to their owner.

Cats mainly purr when they’re happy – the owner can hear a subtle rumble when they rub their pet’s stomach or forehead or after giving it a treat. However, not many know that purring doesn’t always indicate a good mood.

Cats also purr to vocalize their needs. For example, some cats purr when they’re hungry. The owner should pay attention to the cat’s body language when purring.

If the cat is relaxed, with eyes half-closed, purring is most likely a big smile. But if the cat combines purring with meowing, similar to a baby’s cry, it’s trying to get the owner’s attention and ask for food or something else.

Mother cats use purring as a lullaby for their kittens, helping them relax and fall asleep. Kittens respond by purring to show they’re ok and the mother has nothing to worry about.

Adult cats may purr when they’re anxious – during a vet visit, cat show, bathing, or after changing homes. Anxious purring can be recognized by restlessness, rapid breathing, hiding, and dilated pupils.

Older cats can purr to express loneliness and draw the owner’s attention. That’s especially common when owners get a younger pet, and the senior cat becomes jealous.

Some researchers also suggest that cats can purr to relieve anxiety in people. Cat purring effect on humans is indeed soothing and relaxing, but can cats sense human feelings?

Studies show that cats can identify fear, anxiety, sadness, and depression in humans due to their intuition, based on delicate visual and auditory signals that we, people, often don’t notice in others.

Sometimes, purring indicates pain. Opinions on why cats purr when they’re in pain vary – some suggest that cats soothe themselves like babies who suck their thumb and that purring actually helps a cat relieve pain.

The low frequency of purring allegedly induces vibrations in the cat’s body, helping it heal wounds, repair tendons, lessen swelling, and ease breathing. However, other researchers state that cats purr solely to communicate the problem to the owner.

Whichever version is correct, owners must pay close attention to their pet’s purring to avoid missing signs of a medical condition.

Thankfully, according to researchers, the difference between a happy and hungry or anxious purr is always apparent, even for people who don’t own a cat.

The frequencies aren’t the same, and the cat’s body language gives additional clues. As a rule of thumb, voluntary purring is lower-pitched and sounds more urgent.

Is Purring Instinctive in Kittens?

Kittens under two-three months old are entirely dependent on their mother and don’t yet have complete control over their minds and bodies. Same as human children, kittens mainly behave instinctively.

Purring is no exception – kittens don’t control it. They purr automatically when they’re satisfied, usually during feeding or when they rest by their mother’s side.

Kittens are born deaf and blind, but they can already sense the mother’s vibrations. For this reason, kittens learn to purr even before they open their eyes or learn to meow.

Purring in kittens is instinctive, just like hunger, interest in playing, scratching claws, and fighting with each other. Young kittens don’t yet know why they do it, and the age when kittens gain control over their behavior isn’t certain.

Interestingly, kittens don’t usually use purring to indicate negative feelings such as hunger and pain. They are much more likely to make loud, high-frequency crying sounds, which makes us believe that purring is only instinctive in cats when they’re content.

Do Adult Cats Purr Automatically?

Unlike kittens, adult cats can control their purring to some extent. Purring in cats can be both voluntary and involuntary – the former is typically “good” purring, and the latter is “bad” purring.

If you start feeling a slight quiver and rumbling as soon as you touch your pet in its favorite spots, the purring is likely instinctive. Cats have a fine-tuned nervous system autopilot that detects even minor impulses and causes purring and other natural reactions.

However, if purring is accompanied by meowing, crying, growling, and other odd sounds, your cat is probably trying to communicate something important. Researchers don’t know for sure whether purring occurs instinctively or voluntarily when a cat is in pain.

In other words, cats can choose when to purr, but they can’t decide when not to purr. A happy or anxious cat can’t stop its purring, but a cat can choose which sounds to make when it tries to vocalize its feelings to the owner.

What if My Cat is Purring Uncontrollably?

Because purring is typically an indicator of a cat’s good mood, owners rarely get worried when their cat purrs too much. However, uncontrollable, excessive purring can indicate severe problems in the cat’s physical health or mental well-being.

Some owners wonder – “why does my cat purr so loud when I pet her?”. That’s perfectly normal – each cat’s purring is unique, and the loudness may vary.

They can purr at frequencies from 25 to 150 hertz with an average volume of 25 decibels, but the Guinness record for the loudest purring belongs to a cat from England, which purred at 67.8 decibels.

However, if your cat used to purr silently before and has suddenly started to purr very loud, it may try to communicate something important. A cat’s purring may increase when it’s in pain or anxious.

Purring can also become louder when a cat has respiratory system issues. In this case, the owner may also hear growling, heavy breathing, wheezing, snoring, and other funny sounds that require an examination.

Like all sounds a cat makes, purring occurs in the larynx, a hollow tube connecting the cat’s throat with the diaphragm. Simply put, the larynx is the cat’s voice box. When air vibrates through the larynx, we can hear a rumbling sound.

Breathing problems affect the cat’s entire respiratory system, including the larynx, which causes changes in the cat’s voice. Burmese and Persian cats are especially susceptible to respiratory issues, so owners must pay close attention to any purring abnormalities.

Purring may also become louder with age as a cat develops more powerful vocal cords and a prominent chest. However, the change in loudness is never sudden but gradual.

Sometimes, a cat purrs when it feels extreme pain and irritation. Owners suspecting that purring is caused by pain should note when the purring starts.

For example, if the cat begins purring, meowing, and showing other signs of discomfort when the owner touches the tummy, the reason may be digestion issues.

If a cat constantly purrs, refuses to eat, is restless or lethargic, loses or gains weight, avoids people, or follows them around, the owner should bring their pet to a vet.

Female felines constantly purr when they’re in heat. That’s a natural reaction, and heat isn’t a medical condition that requires a vet visit. However, owners can significantly reduce their cat’s stress by administering natural remedies and reducing exposure to male cats.

What if My Cat Never Purrs?

While some feline owners are concerned about excessive purring, others wonder why their cat never purrs. The truth is that a lack of purring is a less worrying sign than excessive purring.

Like people, cats have different personalities, and some felines just don’t purr. However, a cat not purring doesn’t mean it isn’t happy – it probably has chosen a different communication method.

Maybe the cat prefers to lick the owner’s fingers or rub its forehead against the owner’s hands while being petted instead of purring. If a cat has always been like this and shows no behavioral abnormalities, the owner has nothing to worry about.

Sometimes, owners who think that their cats don’t purr are simply unable to detect the sound because it’s very subtle. Or, perhaps, they haven’t yet found their cat’s favorite petting spots that would encourage it to purr.

However, if a cat used to purr a lot and suddenly stops, the owner should pay attention to other changes in behavior to avoid missing symptoms of a medical condition.

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