Posts Tagged ‘mother cats’
Cats Purr For Many Reasons
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
Cats Purr For Many Reasons
By Dr. R.J. Peters
Most people think of purring as the ultimate sign of pure love and contentment. If their cat is purring, they have “arrived!”
This is largely true, and most cats do purr as a sign of happiness and comfort. However, there are other reasons for a cat to do this.
It all starts in the kitten nest, as the little ones seek comfort, nourishment, warmth and safety. They instinctively purr, as does their mother, during this time of growth and learning. They learn to zone in on mom’s sounds in order to stay close for safety. However, since they are born deaf, they are responding to the vibration rather than the sound during their first week or so. Whether mother knows this or not, she purrs loudly and often, to help them stay nearby.
As they mature, purring remains an important sound that signals others to their needs and current condition. This also means they could be in need of special care, such as personal attention if not feeling well. Mother cats can be seen licking and spending time with a kitten that purrs more often or louder than the others. However, a very sickly kitten may not purr much at all, and will be ignored… sometimes to the point of letting it die. This is a natural instinct also, and is part of Nature’s way of thinning out the weak. If a kitten is born too small or weak, sickly, or needs more attention than the others just to survive, the others just know it’s not optimal for survival of the entire group to spend too much time on the weak one.
However, in our homes, we have the option of taking care of the littlest ones.. the runts, as they are usually called… and they can reach adulthood quite successfully, with our extra efforts to help them.
Cats also purr when they are severely injured and possibly dying. Scientist have theorized that purring during this time may provide some comfort to the victim, and occasionally can lead to accelerated “self healing.” Studies have shown that the vibrational frequency is conducive to increased rates of bone repair, for example.
Mother cats also purr during childbirth, possibly to relieve some of the pain and tension they are experiencing. It’s not because they are feeling the “joys of motherhood” as some people mistakenly believe. At our shelter, we have seen cats give birth, purring throughout labor, then promptly bury the little bundles in the litter box! Others have eaten some or all of them, too, if we weren’t there to intervene.
If a cat feels insecure where she has had kittens, she will eat them, as she feels she cannot protect them there. After all, she can just have more later! That is how it is in Nature. They do not understand that humans might intervene and help out. But then, not all humans would.
They may purr in the process, but it’s not what we think it is.
For more information about cats purring, visit Dr. Peters’ website at http://www.theproblemcat.com/articles/why-cats-purr.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._R.J._Peters
http://EzineArticles.com/?Cats-Purr-For-Many-Reasons&id=2236514
