Why Do Cats Purr?

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Have you ever been lying in bed trying to sleep when the cat jumps up on your chest and starts, like, kneading you, getting all up in your face rumbling like a Corvette

and drooling into your mouth? And you're kind of annoyed because, like, you don't love the taste of cat spit, and you have to get up early. And you're also like

"Awww... that's very cute. This cat has genuine affection for me." Well, don't be fooled! Sheriff Fluffy is probably happen to be cuddling you, but cats don't

just purr when they're content; they also do it when they're in pain, giving birth and even dying.

(INTRO PLAYING) The smaller members of the felidae family including lynx, cougar, ocelot and domestic cat

can purr. And they do it by pulsing muscles in their larynx and diaphragm. The resulting vibrations come in a rhythmic pattern during both

inhalation and exhalation at a frequency between 25 and 150 hertz. And cats make all kinds of interesting sounds, hisses, growls, mews, meows and (CAT NOISE), which is one

of my favorites; all communicating specific feelings like "feed me" or "you better better recognize", while purring could mean

"I'm so happy" or "Crap! I'm dying!" Since purring occurs in such different emotional states, it's not

considered a true communicative vocalization. Instead, it turns out, it's a kind of self-medication.

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