Know Cats

To a cat lover, it is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world: the contented vibration that we know as purring. Why do they do it? Scientists think it is a kind of “homing device” used by a mother cat to help her newborn kittens (whose sight, hearing and sense of smell are all underdeveloped) locate her when it’s time to nurse. Purring is a kind of “dinner bell” to young kittens. A mother cat purrs, the kittens fasten on, and the purring stops. We can’t be sure, but it appears that from kittenhood on they associate purring with pleasure.