Cats snuggle on their laps, or when they sleep, will always make a sound similar to snoring, let's call it "purring" for now . But in fact, the "purring" of cats does not only appear when they are sleeping. The shoveling officers who have raised cats can easily find that in most occasions, cats will make these sounds, such as when feeding, when they arrive in a new environment, Wait when frightened.
Scientific discovery of the truth is a long process. At first, people thought that the "purring" of cats is just their way of expressing emotions and communication, but with the deepening of research, it is found that this sound also has a certain "magic".
Big cat growls , kitten purrs
How does a cat "purr"? At first, some people thought that it might be related to the flow of venous blood, more precisely, the inferior vena cava that transports blood back to the heart. But a growing body of research has since found that these sounds are more likely to come from the larynx.
cats and tigers lions and other animals belong to the cat family, but there are certain differences in the vocalizations between them. Big cats such as tigers and lions can easily make a breathtaking roar, but cannot make "purring"; while cats, lynx, leopard cat , hare and other kittens cannot make a roar, roar and "grunt" is like two segments of a straight line segment that can never intersect .
lynx
Why does this discrepancy occur? In the final analysis, it is still in the difference of vocal structure. All species in the cat subfamily such as cats, , their hyoid bone is completely ossified, and the flexibility is poor. The vocal cords and the side walls of the vocal tract form a triangular structure . Anyone who has studied physics knows that a triangle is The most stable structure, so it can withstand very little stretch.
Tigers and other big cats that can roar, the hyoid bone is not completely ossified, the structure formed by the vocal cords and the side walls of the vocal tract is square, and the degree of stretching is large. When air moves through the vocal tract, the hyoid bone vibrates and the vocal cords stretch to produce sound. And the greater the stretch, the lower the sound when it vibrates, which is why only a few big cats can growl.
Of course, the actual situation will only be more complicated. For example, in animals that can growl, there are tissues formed by fibrin and hyaluronic acid on the inner side of the vocal cords. On the side of the lamina propria, there are also tissues formed by collagen , elastin fibers, and fat. , these tissues allow the lungs to experience less pressure when the body roars, so that there is no physical damage.
The roaring tiger
For big cats such as tigers and lions, the roaring sound is very important. In addition to the daily sound information exchange, they also use frequent roaring sounds to declare sovereignty.
Observational studies have shown that in the African savannah, the roaring frequency of stray male lions without territory is much lower than that of territorial male lions. Especially when the male lion enters the lion pride, it will roar frequently to warn surrounding opponents.
The roar of a lion can reach 114 decibels, and the straight-line transmission distance in the open space is about seven or eight kilometers. Kittens are unable to roar and lack some domineering, but studies have found that the "purring" of kittens helps promote tissue regeneration and bone healing .
A roaring lion
A kitten's purr heals
Why is a cat's "purring" so effective? Lyons, a professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, has mentioned that cats also "purr" when they are coerced or during healing, which may be an advantage that has been selected during evolution.
Cats make obvious "purring sounds" when they sleep, which is most likely their way of self-healing, repairing the strain caused by daily play and hunting. "grunts" in a low-energy form that keeps bones and tissues in good shape at rest .
According to legend, cats have nine lives, and the cat's resilience after injury is very strong, which may have a lot to do with its "purring".
2001 A paper in the Journal of the American Acoustical Society mentioned that scientists studied the sound frequencies of 44 felines, including cheetahs, cougars, leopard cats, domestic cats, serval , etc., and found that these felines The "purring" sounds are all between 25 Hz and 150 Hz. The "snoring" of
between 5-50 Hz can increase bone density , which is conducive to promoting bone growth and healing, and at the same time, it can also relax tight muscles; when the frequency reaches 00 Hz , It is used to treat pain, edema, wound healing and dyspnea.
" cat stroking " is the favorite thing of many shit shoveling officers. Studies have shown that cat slaughtering is also beneficial, because cats' "purring" is not only beneficial to themselves, but also beneficial to human beings , because This frequency of "snoring" can also affect us humans. The pulsed electromagnetic field proposed by American orthopedic surgeon Bassett and successfully applied in clinical treatment is a good proof.
Scientists have experimented with an incapacitated elderly dog. They treated the dog for three days with a newly developed device that emits a "purring sound" similar to that of a cat. On the fourth day , the dog miraculously regained his mobility.
Dog
So when the cat snuggles up to your side and purrs, enjoy it to the fullest, which is healing.In addition, "playing the cat" as a way to relieve stress can also help reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack. In some shovel official communication circles,
also circulates the "purr" of cats, which can relieve migraine . When a headache strikes, the head can be relieved or even disappeared when the head is brought close to the purring cat. As for whether
has this kind of miraculous effect, I have no migraine, so I can't verify it. Friends who are troubled by this and are interested can try it and come back and give me a comment.
Some exceptions in the cat family
Because the species that can roar are all species in the panther subfamily , so many people use this feature to distinguish the cat subfamily and the panther subfamily animals, which is actually inaccurate. Although it is applicable in most cases, there are inevitable exceptions, because there are also species that cannot roar in the subfamily Panthera.
For example, the two species in the genus Panthera are unable to roar, and even the snow leopard, which belongs to the genus Panthera like tigers and lions, cannot roar. Among all the existing cats, there are only 4 species that can roar, namely: tiger, lion, leopard, and jaguar .
4 roaring big cats
This requires a special introduction to snow leopards. Generally speaking, cats that cannot roar can make "purring sounds", but snow leopards are very special. Can't make "purr" .
The reason is that although its hyoid bone is not as ossified as those of the cat subfamily, it is not as flexible as the liger, like a state between them, so the snow leopard's cry is in the cat family. It is a very special existence, it sounds like a roar that is not fully developed, and it sounds like a gasping voice, in short, it is very special.
In the past, snow leopards were considered to be monotypic animals and were not classified as Panthera. At that time, it was correct to distinguish Panthera species from other cats by roaring, but the revised cat In the family classification report, the snow leopard has been classified into the genus Panthera, and this method will be invalid.
The current research on cat "purring" clearly has a therapeutic effect, but people have not studied it thoroughly. We look forward to the further development of science in the future and bring us more surprises!
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