Ever wonder what's behind your kitty's purr? Some of us have very loud rattling purring, and some have what I've heard my human call 'baby' purr; so quiet, you can barely hear it!
Most humans associate purring with kitty contentment, and while that's very true, it might not always be the case. Now, since I'm a boy kitty, I'll have to take the word of the girl kitties who've told me this. They say that even when having baby kittens, they can purr, and it's not necessarily from contentment! We can use our purring as self comforting, so it can indicate pain as well. In other words, it can be an emotional response.
What actually creates the purring noise, you ask? It involves rapid movements of the muscles of the larynx and the diaphragm. Those muscles move around 20-30 times per second, and when we breathe in and out, the air touching those muscles creates the purring noise you hear.
What about those purrs that have meow sounds in them, you ask? When we purr with a little meow at the end, it's in order to get you human's attention! Yes, we manipulate, and are darn good at it, too!
I hope this gives you a bit of insight into our 'baby growls'! Have a purrr-fect day! MEOW!!
