Why Do Cats Purr?

If you’ve ever given your cat a good petting they probably responded with a pleasant rumbling sound called purring. But what is purring? And why do cats do it? I went out and searched around the web to see if I could find a definitive answer and this is what I found:

Is it because they’re happy?

Sort of, while cats generally purr when they’re content (say for example being petted) there’s apparently more to it then that. According to WebMD and a cat purring can mean a lot of things, it can mean a cat is happy of course but it can also mean that they are hungry or nervous about something. Purring also seems to be a bonding device between a kitten and it’s mother as the purring helps a kitten locate it’s mother and vice versa. In conclusion purring does mean a cat is happy but it also means other emotions as well.

Is it because they’re hurt?

Yes actually this is another function of purring it seems. According to when an injured cats purrs it releases vibrations that help it mend it’s bones faster. According to Wired purring can also help soothe a cat during a stressful situation similar to how a human would laugh or cry to soothe themselves. They also say that in a cats natural habitat that cats will purr while waiting for something to hunt to keep their bones strong. In conclusion purring is healing and therapeutic for cats.

In conclusion

In spite of all this nobody seems to have a conclusive reason for why cats purr. While we do have some idea about the cats emotions and physical state we don’t seem to know anything for sure since sometimes cats will just purr for seemingly no reason. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if we learn anymore about this strange ability cats have. I mean after all it’s not like the cats are going to tell us themselves.