The mystery of cat’s purring

Everyone, who has a cat at home, is definitely aware of its beneficial influence. When you are down or worried, nothing beats a purring ball of fur settled on your lap or a cat which massages you with its small claws. However, did you know, that purring has a significant healing effect on the human body?

Cats have been companions of people for many years now, according to the latest archaeological findings, even for more than 11 thousand years. Today, together with dogs, they are the most popular pets. Maybe because of their independence and grandeur, maybe for the mystique that surrounds them. For a long time, it has been speculated about the fact that they are capable of healing, or that they are capable to detect an illness. However, now we might be getting a bit closer to the uncovering of this mystery.

According to superstitions, black cats drain most negative energy from us, ginger ones, on the other hand, pass down positive energy, creamy ones are able to energize us when we’re tired and grey-and-blue cats are supposed to calm us down. It is said, that cats know when we are in pain and they lay down on that spot and start purring. If it is a serious illness, they can be lying like this even for hours. But you can judge for yourselves. My cat is not as sensitive, but once I was sleeping over at a friend, who lives with three cats. At that time, I worried a lot, and they probably noticed since two of them immediately laid down on me and purred the whole night through on my chest.

Cats have various reasons for purring and they purr in more ways. But mainly, it is a regeneration process of their body. Purring can mean that the cat is content. Mothers purr to their kittens to calm them down, kittens use purring to ask for attention and to invite others to play. However, cats also purr when they’re in pain or in a stressful situation, to calm themselves down. During such purring, endorphins are released into the body, which help them to cope with the pain.

Recent studies have shown, that the frequency and vibration of cat’s purring (from 20 to 140 Hz) has significant healing effects on the human body. Cat purring lowers the stress level, alleviates symptoms of respiratory conditions (both cat and human ones), listening to purring lowers blood pressure and slows down the heart rate. Some of the purring frequencies even improve bone density and support healing of wounds. According to a study, cat owners also have a 40% lower risk of a heart attack and according to the statistics, they go to the doctor 5 times less than those, who don’t have a cat. Purring vibrations help with the healing of infections and swellings. The vibrations heal muscles, tendons and ligament injuries. They also help with the healing of soft tissues. A purring cat also improves digestion and helps with the healing some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Scientists from a gerontology institute even claim, that cat owners live on average ten years more and that a markedly lower level of cholesterol was measured in them.

According to experts on bioenergetics, a cat is capable of sensing, what the owner has an issue with. If the cat often lays itself down on the head of the owner, it either means that they have problems with high blood pressure, or that they suffer from headaches. Laying down on the left shoulder or shoulder blade means issues with the heart. If it lays down on your back, it senses issues with the kidneys. A cat lays down on your legs in case you have low blood pressure or you often get chilled.

Many people don’t like cats. Many times have I encountered that opinion that a cat is too independent and that it never creates such a relationship with a human as a dog does. But it seems to me, that it is the other way around, and a cat is slightly more equal companion than a dog. And even if this bond between a cat and a human is different than with a dog, it doesn’t mean that it is weaker. What do you think?

Related articles

Diarrhoea in a dog

Every one of us has for sure encountered diarrhoea in our fuzzy friend. Usually, there’s nothing to fuss about, the body reacts to food that it isn’t capable to digest or that didn’t do it good. However, it is good to know, when we are capable of...

Dog history I: cosmonaut Laika

I have been sharing with you my experience with dogs and other animals for quite some time now and it occurred to me to wander a little bit into history as well, but into an interesting one! I’d like to introduce you to several well-known dog...

Even dog can have an allergy

Allergy is a disproportionate reaction of the immunity system to common stimuli. It cannot be cured, but we can suppress its manifestations. In the last years, allergies in pets and dogs especially are on the rise. Currently, about 10% of house-dogs...

FIP, the cat killer

Today, we are going to take a look at the Feline Infectious Peritonitis - FIP, an utterly exceptional virus illness that always has a fatal end. Most of the cats get into contact with the viruses that cause FIP in their lifetime, even though the...

Dog in bed

We can divide dog owners into two groups. The ones that allow the dog in bed and those that feel that this is no option. Let’s take a look at what such bed sharing with a dog actually entails.

Geocaching with a dog

If you like going on treks with your fuzzy friends, geocaching is something precisely for you. This way, you will liven up your trips and maybe you even discover places that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. I and my pack can’t get enough of it.

Moving with a cat

Contrary to dogs, cats have a strong bond with the place where they live. That’s why moving is very stressful for them and this stress may cause a number of diseases. It’s a good idea to plan everything well, so that you could make the situation of a...

Dog Instincts

Even though the dogs went through long years of domestication, they still retain fundamental instincts as we do. They might not be as strong as in wild dogs, but they still play a very significant role in the life of a dog and in their behaviour. So if...

Dog rescuers

It is no news that the dog isn’t only a pet and that it can also help saving human lives in various catastrophes. But have you ever thought about what it means for dogs to become rescuers? You haven’t? Well, then it’s the right time to set off together...

What to do when your dog queen is pregnant?

The usual pregnancy period in female dogs is indicated at about 58 – 65 days, the average is 63 days. In case of the nutrition of a pregnant female, possible changes in diet can be likened to the changes in diet of pregnant women. Pregnant female dogs...