do cats purr

[chris1970]

do cats purr for any other reason than when they are happy???

[beryllium]

Hi there chris1970, this is a very sad story and is as follows...

I used to live on Camberwell Road, Elephant and Castle and it was a very busy road. I saw a cat get run over there and saw it run off. I ran after it to see if it was alright and found it on the pavement just outside a house. It was still alive but laying there and I knew from instinct it was very badly hurt. I stroked the cat and it purred, so happy and I talked to it as it died. Still makes me tearful now....

[gessoo]

They also purr when in pain. I am sorry beryllium. I don't mean to make you feel sad - I am sure that your kind act must have helped that poor cat.

[beryllium]

Oh gessoo, it really was so sad. His eyes glazed very quickly and then he was gone. I'm glad I was there to talk to him....

[andy-hughes]

No-one knows all the reasons why cats purr, and there is no definitive definition of how they make the noise. As states, they do purr in pain, as well as pleasure, but it's one of the mysteries that make them so appealing.