Why do cats purr? Scientists have an explanation

Nature – pads somewhere other than our dear cat’s feet? This is the hypothesis raised by scientists, in A The study was published on October 3 Current biologyWhich could explain the mysterious cat purring phenomenon. According to these researchers, domestic cats have “pads” built into their vocal cords, which add an extra layer of fatty tissue, allowing them to vibrate at lower frequencies.

Cat purring is far from being understood by science currently. The low-frequency sounds—usually between 20 and 30 Hz—involved in purring are generally only seen in larger animals, such as elephants, whose vocal cords are much longer.

In this study, the team of Christian Herbst, a voice specialist at the University of Vienna (Austria), studied the larynxes of eight deceased domestic cats – euthanized in the final stage of an incurable disease. They then pressed their vocal cords together and passed a stream of warm, humidified air through them. Then all the cats produced a purr. This is without any muscle contraction or nerve input. This does not mean that the latter can have an effect on its strength or intensity.

“Pads” in cats’ vocal cords

But this indicates that the brain is not necessarily involved in the appearance of purring. Big surprise “For scholars. By closely examining the cats’ anatomy, they discovered unusual clumps of fibrous tissue embedded in the vocal cords, the function of which no one knew. These “pads” can increase the density of the vocal cords, making them vibrate more slowly and allowing cats to make low-frequency sounds, despite their relatively small size.

However, this theory still needs to be confirmed by further research. The magazine asked him scienceDavid Rice, a biomechanist at Tulane University who has conducted work on the mechanics of cat purring, believes that this experiment does not guarantee that the vocal cords of living animals behave in the same way. Of course, the ideal situation would be to repeat the experiment with live cats…

Above all, this study, although it puts forward an interesting hypothesis, does not solve all the mysteries surrounding purring: if the brain is not involved, how and why is it stimulated? Is it interpreted as a sign of contentment or affection, as people like to think? Does it act as a calming mechanism and promote healing? These questions remain unanswered.

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