Ask cat people what they love about their feline buddies, and soothing purrs will likely make the list. But how, exactly, do cats produce their signature sound? A new study challenges the current consensus.
“Anatomical investigations revealed a unique ‘pad’ within the cats’ vocal folds that may explain how such a small animal, weighing only a few kilograms, can regularly produce sounds at those incredibly low frequencies,”, a voice scientist at the University of Vienna and Shenandoah University and lead author of the study, said in a statement., animal experts say—generally to convey calm and contentment, but also to express other emotions and needs and self-soothe when they’re stressed or in pain.
For the study, Herbst and team examined the larynxes of eight domestic cats that had been euthanized due to terminal disease unrelated to the respiratory tract. They squeezed the vocal folds together and pumped air through them, producing sound in all of the larynxes without muscle contractions or brain input.
In a surprising analogy, the scientists said the purring mechanism they observed is strikingly similar to vocal fry, the technique pop stars famously tap to add style to their tunes. (Think “oh, baby baby” from Britney Spears’ ““Despite the long history of cats and humans interacting, we still know so little about them, their bodies and their behaviors,” Henning said.