Petting a cat has long been seen as a form of stress relief — cat ownership could cut the risk of stroke or heart disease by as much one-third. Those same frequencies cats purr at might also be doing good to us as well.
It calms us and pleases us, like watching waves against a beach. Haddon agrees. The purr from a happy cat may also be of benefit to human health Credit: Alamy.
Most of us feed the cat before ourselves, which shows how effective their communication is. With this deeper knowledge, the bond between cat and owner can only grow.
If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Ask a Stupid Question Animal. Share using Email. The modern conical-toothed cats existing today are the product of 37 million years of evolution, relatively recent on the carnivore tree. What could this benefit be?
Energy is expended during respiration. The cost of breathing is increased by adding a purr so possible benefits must outweigh additional costs. Perhaps the purr carries a positive health benefit. The average domestic cat purrs at a frequency of 25 to Hertz Hz. Humans have a range of about 20 to 20, Hz, so most of us can hear the purr. We can also feel the vibrations. More recent research has shown that frequencies between 20 and 50 Hz increase bone density.
Experiments have demonstrated that the same frequency range relaxes stubbornly tense muscles. Growing clinical evidence supports the use of these low frequencies in animals and humans for specific conditions such as bone healing, osteoarthritis, inflammation, wound healing and post-operative pain.
A newly developed device was tested on an aged dog that had lost the ability to walk, could not be treated using conventional veterinary medicine, and was scheduled to be euthanized. On the fourth day the dog regained its ability to walk on its own and returned to its joyful human companion.
But Ravetz and Kelsey both warn that not all purrs are happy ones and cats also purr to calm themselves down. Cats can even purr when they are giving birth, and if they are feeling anxious, most often when they are on the way to the vet, says Ravetz. Unsurprisingly, cats are very attention-seeking and that's usually the reason they are being vocal, says Kelsey. So cats purr to express their feelings, even though they may act nonchalant, they actually have them , which could be anything from "I feel great" to "help me".
It's not rocket science, you just need to pay attention to the context of the purr, say our experts. If they are curled up on your knee, purring away, then it's safe to assume they are a content kitty," Ravetz says. Yet if they are in the car on the way to the vets, don't assume they are just enjoying the ride; they could be feeling anxious. Cats have their own unique purr like we have our own distinct voice, says Ravetz, which means one cat's purr won't sound like another's. These tones all differ amongst individual cats and can be recognised by their owners on most occasions," she says.
We've all been there — purring or meowing at a cat to try and get them on our side. But do they have a clue what we are trying to do? Sadly, Ravetz thinks not. Cats often purr when humans stroke them, leading to an association between purring and pleasure. A study found that cats can conceal a cry within their purr that triggers a nurturing instinct in their owners, similar to the cries of a human baby.
According to New Scientist readers, cats will also adapt noises like their meow to elicit a response from their owners. This means that if a cat were to have a deaf owner, it is likely they would meow less once they learned it did not trigger a response.
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