Why do cats purr so loud. This can be when you pet them, or when they’re sitting with you on the couch and enjoying your company.
Well, cats have a unique ability to tune their purrs to an incredibly low frequency. So low that it cannot be heard by the human ear! These ultra-low-pitched sounds are at 25–100 Hz and can travel through the air, water, and pretty much anything else.
Once a cat starts purring, all of the muscles in the larynx contract and dilate to rapidly vibrate vocal folds creating these deep vibrations. All of this happens while cats inhale and exhale which helps keep them from choking on their saliva or from being injured by these vibrations.
Why do cats purr so loud
My cat Harry is a curious little fella and he tends to be very cautious when investigating new environments. It’s not unusual for him to purr loudly whenever he’s exploring the back of my wardrobe or when I’m making coffee on a weekend morning. Sometimes Harry will purr loudly after being startled or after stressful episodes like being chased by another dog.
What about the cats who purr so loud?
Some cats – like tigers – can produce sounds up to 100 decibels! To put that into perspective, a motorcycle engine is about 80 decibels. These cats also tend to be very large cats like lions and tigers.
Of course, cats don’t purr at this high frequency all the time, they just have the ability to. It’s thought that cats might purr at both low and high frequencies for different reasons.
Some scientists think cats purr at low frequencies when they want their owners to come to find them – the cats are essentially calling for help! While cats purr at very high frequencies when they’re in particularly stressful or threatening situations.
For smaller cats, like domestic ones, purring is also a form of self-healing. By using vibrations cats are able to stimulate their muscles and bones which can help with injury prevention as well as healing after an injury has occurred.
- Purring happens naturally – it releases pleasure hormones that cats enjoy. So no matter why cats are purring they are probably doing it for a good reason!
- cats have muscles in their vocal folds that contract to create the purr sound
- cats can “tune” their purrs with their breathing – long inhales and exhales help cats keep their airways clear when purring
- This vibration has many purposes, including alerting owners of a cat’s presence if far away or drawing prey closer cats also have the ability to purr at different frequencies for different reasons.
- They can produce sounds up to 100 decibels which is similar to a motorcycle engine. Large cats typically do this more than small cats.
- Smaller cats may only need low-frequency purrs to get themselves back into good health (by stimulating their muscles and bones).
- cats purr naturally, it’s a pleasant event for cats that releases hormones to help cats feel calm. Because cats have this ability cats are likely purring for a good reason!