Purrrfecto!

Cat mystery How do cats purr? Signals from their brain make their voice box and diaphragm [a muscle between the chest and abdomen] vibrate. One reason why is that purring helps stimulate healing of the bones and tendons. –greatpetcare.com

You read it first in this week’s The Factory in Guide magazine.

Many people have pets. Some people love dogs, some love cats. Some love both and many other pets, too! I know a young lady who had a chinchilla. It was kind of messy, but she loved it! Do you have a pet? Pets are fun and keep us company. They give us lots of love. But they also require love and care, as well.

For those of you who have cats and kittens, have you ever wondered why they purr? I always thought it was because they were content and felt loved. And it might be, it’s hard to know for sure.  Let’s see what the experts have to say.

Kittens have the ability to make sounds from birth, and may be heard making little mews to let their mother know they’re hungry, says Catster. Purring typically begins during week three, and kittens tend to become more vocal as they start being able to walk, play and explore their surroundings.

The cat is the only animal that makes a sound called a purr. Cats produce purring in their throat. No one knows exactly why cats purr, but it may be a sign of comfort. Cats also make other sounds, including meowing, hissing, yowling, and growling.

Cats purr for several reasons.  One, could be because newborn kittens are born blind and deaf, so the vibrations of the mother’s purr help her kittens find their way to her for nursing, care and warmth.  Another reason could be that when cats are ill or stressed they will purr to help relieve their pain and anxiety. In fact, science has discovered that cats release feel-good endorphins when purring. Also, cats may purr to get their human’s attention to give them some affection.

Inside each of these cats’ brains is a special timer.  This timer can send rhythmic nerve messages — at 25 electrical pulses per second — to a particular muscle in the cat’s voice box. With the first pulse from the brain’s timer, the muscle swings the vocal folds in the larynx together. It almost closes off the air passage through the voice box. With the next pulse, the muscle relaxes. The airway again opens. These opening and closing folds change the airflow through the cat’s voice box. The airflow is usually steady as the mountain lion or bobcat inhales and exhales. When the timer’s working this steady stream turns into a putt-putt-putt of air through the larynx. What does this putt putt putt sound like? Purrrrrr.

Of course a full-grown mountain lion purrs about twenty times louder than that friendly puss who sleeps most of the afternoon at the foot of your bed. Not all kinds of cats can purr. Cats that can roar — such as tigers, jaguars and African lions — can not purr. And cats that can purr –such as cougars, bobcats and household tabbies — cannot roar.

Well, our pets show us lots of love most of the time. There are times when they can get stressed out, too. But, usually if we show them love they will love us back.  This reminds me of Luke 6:31, “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” NKJV   I think this works for animals, as well. And when our pets – especially cats are happy – we may even hear them purr!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.