h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Our cat, nee Sally, will purr at the slightest provocation, and breaks into loud noise at the touch of a hand. We obtained her from an animal care shelter, so she may be deprived of affection after living on the streets, but it seems excessive. Is cat purring always a sign of happiness? Or ever? There seems to be plenty of room for error in our interpretation of animal emotions.

I know a woman who produces similar effects at the slightest touch... in the right spot, that is. I don't think it's strange at all, but rather a common, cross-specific phenomemon in females.

Innuendo aside, it does seem a bit strange.

Yes, indeed, stroking a pussy can cause all manner of strange reactions. Try stroking both towards and against the direction of fur growth. If you begin touch the pussy gently you will perhaps hear a different sound than if you rub it vigorously. Also, much depends on the individual pussy.

Oh, excuse me, you said "innuendo aside". My apologies.

Any vets around?

...in cats it's always a sign of appreciation.
we have five atm, ex-males & ex-females.
one purrs at the slightest touch, one only on a 'good' day.

alec.

I don't think you need to worry. My cat, Jake, purrs if you so much as look at him! He is a complete tart and will roll over onto his back for a tummy tickle and purr like an engine for hours.

If a cat is injured or ill it will purr - but it is a different sort of purr and it will be obvious that it is not happy.

Be glad you have a happy cat!

Don't know about purring; our cat pukes at the slightest provocation.

I had a Siamese like that once

Cats are like people, you've got different personalities and different ways of showing contentment and happiness. One of our cats used to purr if you so much as thought about him, another would pretty much do the same...but then we had another cat who only ever purred if he was asleep...Sounds like she's just a happy pussy

It all depends on the size of your puss...cat.

If you sample the sound of a domestic moggie purring, then slow it down to quarter speed to simulate the different resonant cavities in a larger body, you'll find you get the sound a lion or tiger makes when they are growling...

Oh I miss my cats.


I visit a friend's widow just because there's a male cat there who does that tart thing - rolls on his back & spreads his legs so you get to tickle all his belly then purrs like he's in Heaven.

I've only ever had female cats, all black, the oldest one wouldn't let you anywhere near her, and she never purred.
The last two were very affectionate & used to *pad* me and my older daughter - but neither of them were purrers. My daughter is now married with her own home & 2 cats, a deaf white one who never makes a sound and a year-old ex-male tabby who purrs when stroked but also yowls like a banshee!

As soon as I move {any week now} I am going to get another cat. I've been too long without one.

Both my cats purr if you so much as touch them - or if they want food!!

You never realise how much you miss your cat(s) until you're forced to live without them...

It wasn't until I moved out of home and into a flat that had a 'no pets' clause in the lease that I realised I'd never been without a cat in my entire life, and it's a horrid feeling. I especially miss it in winter, when I just want the little warm body either on my lap or in bed where I can cuddle it and listen to the happy purr when it's cold outside...

Rasserfrassin' lease...*muttermuttergrumble*

*See my journal for explanation of my feelings about cats*

I'm sure cats do everything out of malevolence. They purr at you when you're on the phone, they sit on your knee when you're about to get up and make lunch, they puke on your floor when you're late for work, they crap on your lettuce (in the greenhouse, rarely actually in salad) etc. etc. Cats were put on this Earth to p**s human beings off, and what do we do?...take them into our homes

B

In a normal cat, a purr is a sign of happiness. But it originated from a modified submission reflex. A cat that has been in deprived circumstances such as one from a cat shelter may be psychologically disturbed and may have a distorted purring reflex. But I think that if you stroke your cat and she purrs, then she is happy.

Desmond Morris (for whom, I have to say, I do not have unbounded intellectual respect) says in *Catwatching* that cats will purr when happy, but also when they need help.

The human metaphor he uses is that a purr is like a smile - some are happy smiles, some are hopeful ones.

Like GB, I miss cats - hope the move goes well, hon.

B

Our cat pukes too. I think it's just that she doesn't know when to stop eating. If food is set in front of her, she will eat until she is sick, and it does happen that someone doesn't realize the cat has been fed already that day. That's just a guess though.

Does she eat dry biscuits or wet food? We had the same problem with our cat, until we realised what was happening was that she ate until she was full, but because she pretty much swallowed her food whole, it expanded in her stomach and caused her to regurgitate when it did so...