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Pets: Cat’s purr does a body good

‘As relaxing as a good book.’
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When a cat is purring because she is happy, content, at ease, and relaxed it is probably one of the most soothing sounds you will hear.

Ask any cat lover and they will tell you that a cat’s purr is akin to soothing music, or calming sounds of waves crashing on the beach. It’s as relaxing as a good book, a yoga session, or even meditation. It lowers stress levels and blood pressure. It has also been linked to faster healing times for bone fractures in humans.

Five years ago, I was involved in a serious car accident. I had several fractures and spent two weeks in the hospital. Before I could go home, the hospital set me up with special equipment that would help me function at home. One of those was a hospital bed.

From the moment I got home, one of my cats refused to leave my side. He would lay on the hospital bed with me, gently press himself anywhere I had fractures and purr.

I remember thinking what an awesome cat he was, and how much he must love me because here he was trying to make me feel better by purring. I didn’t realize back then that the purr not only soothed me, but it may also have helped my recovery.

In less than a month, I was walking on my own.

My orthopedic surgeon was amazed by how quickly, and how well, my bones healed. He attributed this to my healthy lifestyle, my genetic makeup, and my determination to get better.

But, looking back on it now, I think my cat had a lot to do with my speedy recovery.

When I was pregnant, I didn’t play classical music for my babies, I would lay one of my cats on my belly and let it purr. I did the same when my contractions first began. It wasn’t an epidural I’m sure, but it definitely helped me relax.

For some, purring is almost a spiritual experience. Researches have been studying cats and how they purr for years, but most of us don’t care how they do it, as long as they keep on doing it.

Because purring is associated with such positive emotions for humans, you may find it surprising that cats don’t always purr when they are happy. Anyone who works with animals knows that cats sometimes purr at the oddest, most inappropriate times. Their ears are back, they are panting, the hackles are standing on guard and suddenly they start to purr.

As much as we would like to think that it is our great personality and gentle touch that is making them purr, that is not the case.

Cats purr to calm and heal themselves. They will purr when they are stressed out, afraid, in pain, and even when they are dying.

A cat’s purr is like a human’s nervous laugh, whistling while afraid, or any inappropriate reaction to stress or pain.

The frequency of a cat’s purr is the same frequency used on humans to help heal wounds and fractures, and it has the same effect on felines.

The next time your cat is purring, watch their body language to see how they are really feeling, because the purr can be misleading. If your cat seems happy and relaxed, then see if they are willing to share that purr with you, because the purr really does a body good.

Of course, cats, being the brilliant beings that they are, have taken purring to a whole new level. They have learned that if they throw in a high frequency meow over top of the purr, humans are quicker to react to their demands.

Because purring to us is such a calming sound, an annoying meow in the midst of it tends to get our attention quickly. Cats use this fascinating combination to wake us up and get food, or anything else that they may desire.

Cats use their purr for themselves, for us, and for any other being they share their life with. Cats will purr when snuggling up against their canine companion, when grooming their bunny friends, when trying to put a crying baby to sleep, and sometimes even when they are rubbing up against their favourite dining table leg.

The truly amazing thing is that practically everyone, except the dining table leg of course, has the same reaction to the purr. It’s like a universal language for comfort, relaxation, and reassurance.

Magdalena Romanow is a volunteer at Katie’s Place, an animal shelter in Maple Ridge.