Healing Power of Purr
Much has been said about the purr from a feline. A few comments I have heard are – he is purring because he is happy, she is purring because she loves me, purring helps her feel better, and the list goes on. Recently my brother Dan emailed me an article on research devoted to animal acoustical sounds to investigate the very fundamental question of exactly why cats purr. It is a long read yet worth the time.
Dr. David Williams, the American medical researcher, biochemist and chiropractor, recently wrote about some fascinating research from the Fauna Communications Research Institute in Hillsborough, North Carolina, a group devoted to animal acoustical sounds, who decided to investigate the very fundamental question of exactly why cats purr.
Survival mechanism
Although most of us believe cats purr to give voice to joy or contentment, cats also purr when they are under stress – when they are caged, or injured, or even during the rigors of birth.
In these circumstances, it stands to reason that purring was invented for a larger purpose than just happy noises. Purring, a sound involving both the larynx and the diaphragm requires a lot from a cat.
As the Fauna researchers put it: ‘When was the last time you heard someone singing, or humming to themselves . . .when they were in the emergency room with a broken leg? The purr has to be somehow involved with survival.’
After recording the purring of all manner of cats, from domestic cats to cheetahs and ocelots at the Cincinnati Zoo, the researchers discovered something untoward. The dominant frequency for all the big and small cats besides the cheetah was 25 Hz or 50 Hz – the same frequencies that are optimal for bone growth or repair – although cats seem to be able to ramp up the range to 140 Hz.