How do we know?
↻ One of the pages with a moving picture
Scientists made cat voice boxes purr, in a lab.
- Cats purr when petted or nursing kittens, but also when stressed, like at the vet.
- Scientists found little fat pads on a cat’s vocal folds. They slow the folds’ shaking into a low rumble.
- Cats purr while breathing in and breathing out, so the sound hardly stops.
- Why purr? Some scientists think it may help keep a resting cat’s bones and muscles strong. It’s still a mystery!
Scientists blew air through cat voice boxes in a lab. They buzzed with a purr-like sound, with no muscles working at all!
A purr shakes 25 to 150 times every second. That is why it sounds so low and rumbly.
People and cats have lived together a long time. On the island of Cyprus a cat was buried with a person 9,500 years ago. It may be one of the oldest pet cats ever found.
Wow number
25 to 150 A purr shakes 25 to 150 times every second. That’s why it sounds so low and rumbly.
Myth or fact?
Cats only purr when they are happy. Myth. They also purr when stressed or hurt.
Wild cats have always lived on the island of Cyprus. Myth. People brought cats there from the mainland.
Think about it
When does a cat you know purr? What do you think it is telling you?
Where in the world?
Cyprus where a cat was buried with a person 9,500 years ago. It may be one of the oldest pet cats ever found — 35.1264° N, 33.4299° E.
Where these facts come from
Every number on page 52, and who measured it
This page tells us when cats purr, how fast a purr shakes, and the idea that purring may help bones.
Why do cats purr? — Scientific American, a science magazine
scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-cats-purr
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This Nature news story tells us about a study, printed in the journal Current Biology, on the fat pads in a cat's voice box.
Daily briefing: Cats purr without muscles or brain input — Nature, a famous science journal
nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03156-6
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page tells us about the 9,500-year-old cat found on Cyprus.
Oldest Known Pet Cat? 9,500-Year-Old Burial Found on Cyprus — National Geographic, a science and exploring magazine
nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/oldest-known-pet-cat-9500-year-old-burial-found-on-cyprus
We checked it on 31 October 2026
Has this changed?
Yes, this one may change. Why cats purr is still a mystery, and scientists are still studying it.
How the sound is made, with fat pads on the vocal folds, was found out only recently.
Words from this page
- vocal folds
- Two stretchy bands in the throat that shake to make sound.
- voice box
- The part of the throat that holds the vocal folds.
Try it!
Feel your own voice buzz.
1. Rest your fingertips gently on the front of your throat. 2. Hum a low note for a few seconds. 3. Now hum a high note. Feel the difference?
What happens: you feel a buzz. That’s your vocal folds shaking! A cat’s folds shake slowly, so a purr is very low.
Go further