Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Gwen on June 07, 2008, 18:15:52 PM
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do big cats purr? :shify: :shify:
I havent been drinking either :evillaugh:
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do big cats purr? :shify: :shify:
I havent been drinking either :evillaugh:
No, they do not. Many roar :)
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Kylie is big and she purrs :evillaugh:
Apparently, the biggest cat that does a true purr is a Cougar - although other big cats can purr occasionally but only when exhaling which isn't a true purr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W461djpQl2s
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Apparently, the biggest cat that does a true purr is a Cougar - although other big cats can purr occasionally but only when exhaling which isn't a true purr.
I sometimes purr when exhaling but that is the after-effects of the booze :evillaugh:
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I havent been drinking either :evillaugh:
lol @ this
Dont see why they dont ..their still cats ...size dosnt make any difference
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I swear I have seen footage of tigers and lions purring - or it sounds like purring - it may be a different mechanism than cat purring, but it sounds the same ...
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Well I somehow hoped the answer would be that they do. Shall we just pretend? :)
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Dont see why they dont ..their still cats ...size dosnt make any difference
Yes, it does make a huge difference. How we humans want to categorise things is irrelevant :hug:
Trust me, Other Guys, only domestic cats purr
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There are a couple of larger big cats that do, but the majority don't. I can't remember the exceptions to the rule at the moment, though.
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I looked it up an posted the link on my last post of a Cougar aka Mountain Lion purring - and that is the largest cat that does a true purr
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I'm gonna have a glass of cotes du rhone and purr with noni whilst I consider this question :)
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do big cats purr? :shify: :shify:
I havent been drinking either :evillaugh:
Yes, some do ... sort of! :Luv: :Luv: :Luv:
Lions do a deep, gutteral purr, like a soft growl, and squish their eyes shut and stretch their necks out just like kitties! I don't think tigers do, though. Snow leopards definitely purr - they are soppy as anything! :Luv: :Luv: Did you know that cheetahs miaow? :Crazy: Sounds really incongruous coming from a big cat!
(I've had the very great honour of petting several semi-feral big cats :Luv: :Luv: :Luv: )
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As far as I know from what I have read only cats truely Purr, Wild big cats do not.
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I'll look through my feline psych coursework - it's in there somewhere.
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Are you planning on getting one Gwen :sneaky: :evillaugh:
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Elephants purr ;D
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I'm gonna have a glass of cotes du rhone and purr with noni whilst I consider this question :)
Changing the subject completely, that reminds me that Waitrose (sorry :innocent:) sell a cheap and cheerful red wine called Chat en Oeuf (geddit?). Its worth buying just for the label :)
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I'm gonna have a glass of cotes du rhone and purr with noni whilst I consider this question :)
Changing the subject completely, that reminds me that Waitrose (sorry :innocent:) sell a cheap and cheerful red wine called Chat en Oeuf (geddit?). Its worth buying just for the label :)
Cheap and cheerful, yep that's me. Just googled it and it gets a good write up. Think I'll pay Waitrose a visit :)
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Changing the subject completely, that reminds me that Waitrose (sorry :innocent:) sell a cheap and cheerful red wine called Chat en Oeuf (geddit?). Its worth buying just for the label :)
Cheap and cheerful, yep that's me. Just googled it and it gets a good write up. Think I'll pay Waitrose a visit :)
I have a bottle open from last week. I used some of it for cooking a stifado but it is definitely also very quaffable. Pity youre not closer, Rosella ;)
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I had some of that last year :)
[attachment deleted by admin]
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There is actually some debate over this topic in the scientific community. Some biologists maintain that big cats such as lions and tigers cannot purr, because they have adapted special physical traits in order to be able to roar which preclude purring ability. Others believe that the big cats can and do purr, although they may not purr exactly like household cats. Study of big cats in a variety of environments appears to bear out the second theory, that they do in fact purr for many of the same reasons that smaller cats do.
The exact mechanism of purring is not completely understood. It is believed that purring is accomplished with the use of the hyoid bone, a small flexible bone located in the neck. When the cat pushes air through its voicebox, it rattles the hyoid bone, creating the distinctive purr sound. Purring may also be caused by false vocal cords, located slightly behind the cat's actual vocal cords. The debate over how cats purr has greatly complicated the issue of whether or not big cats can purr.
Biologists who believe that big cats cannot purr generally support the hyoid bone theory. They argue that big cats have developed a slightly different hyoid bone, which is less flexible, and thus able to serve as the mechanism behind the roar. The sacrifice in flexibility, however, means that the hyoid could not be used to purr. However, other biologists believe that big cats actually can purr, although they can only purr when exhaling, rather than continuously, like a house cat or smaller cat breeds. This may be accomplished through limited vibration of the hyoid, or through the false vocal cords.
The purring noise made by big cats undoubtedly sounds different than the purr of smaller cats. It resembles a cough or a growl more than a purr, which may have led to confusion about whether or not big cats actually purr. Both lions and tigers purr when they are with a group, and use purring to communicate with kittens as well. Like the purr of a smaller cat, the purr of large cats may resonate at a frequency which promotes healing, explaining why cats purr when they are injured or distressed.
Many textbooks state that only small cats, members of the Felix genus, can purr. However, it appears that cats in the genus Panthera, such as lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars, also purr. It also believed these big cats may not be able to purr while meowing, growling, or eating, unlike smaller cats.
http://www.wisegeek.com/do-lions-and-tigers-purr.htm
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I had some of that last year :)
I'm sure Lesley had some of that on one of my visits!