Does a cat also purr when its hurt?

Question

I read somewhere a few months ago that cats purred when they were hurt/injured as well as happy etc. Is it true?

Answer 1

Cats don't purr just when they're feeling chipper--they also purr when they're frightened or badly hurt. Purring doesn't have any specific emotional connotation; rather it seems to be a kind of homing device. Cats learn the signal in the first few days of kittenhood, when they can't see, hear, or smell very well. The mother cat purrs to call the kittens to nurse--unable to hear the sound, the kitten can feel the vibrations.

There are two schools of thought on exactly how a cat purrs. One theory traces the vibrations to a set of "false vocal cords," a bundle of membranes that lies above the genuine vocal chords and seems to have no other clear function. The other opinion locates the purr in the vibrations of the hyoid apparatus, a series of small bones connecting the skull and the larynx that nominally serves to support the tongue. Since it's very difficult to induce a cat to purr while you are examining his hyoid apparatus, the truth may never be known.

Answer 2

It IS true that some cats purr when they are hurt, injured or even dying.

No-one knows why cats purr, but there are several theories, one of which being that purring is linked to self healing. Scientists have proven that cats purr through the intermittent signaling of the laryngeal and diaphragmatic muscles at a frequency between 25-150 Hertz. According to experts, sound frequencies in this range can improve bone density and promote healing.

There are also theories that purring help prevent conditons which cause difficulty in breathing, such as lung or heart disease.

In my opinion, if a cat purr's when it's happy, surely it will purr when faced with physical or pyschological danger, in effort to comfort itself.

Even though the reasons for purring are still a mystery to us, I'm sure most cat lovers will agree it's one of the best and most comforting sounds in the world.

Answer 3

I think they possible can, yes. When my cat was dying at the age of 16 due to kidney failure, she kept purring constantly. It was something to do with her having difficulty in breathing. Other than that, I have never known a cat to purr when in pain.

Answer 4

I'd never thought of it but now that I see this...

a few years ago I found a cat that had been hit by a car. The entire back half of it's body was crushed. I took the cat to the vet and held it the whole way.

It was purring the whole time, I just thought it was because I was petting it...

Answer 5

Purring is a reflexive action for the most part. The easiest way to avoid this is to ignore your cat when she jumps up on the bed. Don't look at, pet, or speak to her; most cats like yours who sound very affectionate respond to any sort of attention with more purring. Let her settle down and go to sleep. If she's really bothering you that much, try this: get a box and put some of your old clothing in it (things like sweaters that would smell like you), and put it in the corner of the room. Put some sort of stuffed toy in there for her to cuddle up against. During the day, encourage her to go in the box by putting her in it and petting her while she sits there, encouraging her to lay down so she associates it with affection. Cats tend to sleep where they want, so this may take some trial and error on your part before she decides to sleep there. As a light sleeper myself, I share your problem. The only other solutions are to look into some earplugs, or to leave her out of the room. She may cry at the door for a while, but if you ignore her (don't speak to her through the door -- the sound of your voice will only encourage her) eventually she'll get the hint and wander off, then stop coming to the door alltogether.

Answer 6

I have had a few cats over the years and they purr as a response to affection or attention whether they have been injured or not.

Answer 7

I haven't observed any of my cats purring when hurt and stressed from injury. I have heard them purr when recovering from an injury but over the stress of the event.

Answer 8

They can, yes. In addition to purring when happy or content, a cat will also purr to comfort and calm itself.

Answer 9

Yes, it is true.

Purring is not actually only a response to being happy, its a response to a rush of strong emotions.

I am currently feeding two ferals out in the woods near here, a mother and her kitten, and they purr whenever they get near me to eat, but they're obviously terrified and they act twitchy and run off a few feet everytime I move.(they've started to accept me, since I sit on the ground and watch them eat, quite still) I brought my grandmother to see them once and her instant response to them purring was 'I thought they were feral!' and she reached out to pick up little Meli(the kitten) but she freaked and ran off. Its not nessicarily a happy reaction.

Answer 10

My kitty was hit by a car and had massive internal injuries.
We rushed him to the vet, and the whole time he was on my lap purring like crazy!
When they gave him anesthesia to check him out, he passed, but the vet said he never stopped purring till the end.

Saya~ thats weird, almost the same story.
Im all kinds of emo now, *sigh*