The Healing Power of Your Cat's "Purr"

It has long been speculated that pets are good for a person's health. Stress relief and encouragement of a healthy lifestyle are commonly cited as two positive outcomes from owning a pet. But when it comes to cats, scientific evidence suggests that their "purr" can be specifically beneficial to their owner.

A cat's purr frequency is exactly 26 Hertz. This frequency corresponds with the frequency that scientists use in vibrational therapies. How exactly does vibrational therapy work? When the body is exposed to high intensity pressure & strength training exercise, bones and muscles become stronger, reinforcing themselves and adding muscle. Vibrational therapy creates the same healing and reinforcement using low frequency vibrations instead of intense high impact activity. So, theoretically, a cat's purr can help healing. 

It's not just healing bones, but a cat's purr can also :

• Lowering stress, by petting a purring cat can calm you.
• A cat's purr can decrease the symptoms of dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing) in both cats and humans.
• Lower blood pressure, by interacting with the cat and hearing the purring sound.
• Reducing the risk of heart disease (cat owners have 40% less risk of having a heart attack).

So, why do cats purr?

The common belief is that cats purr to show their happiness but they also purr when frightened, severely injured, giving birth, and even while dying.

Elizabeth von Muggenthaler of the Fauna Communications Research Institute in North Carolina, delved further into why a cat would waste energy purring in its last moments :

"For the purr to exist in different cat species over time, geographical isolation, etc. there would likely have to be something very important (survival mechanism) about the purr. There also would have to be a very good reason for energy expenditure (in this case creation of the purr), when one is physically stressed or ill. The vibration of the cat's diaphragm, which with the larynx, creates the purr, requires energy. If an animal is injured they would not use this energy unless it was beneficial to their survival."

She continues :

"It is suggested that purring be stimulated as much as possible when cats are ill or under duress. If purring is a healing mechanism, it may just help them to recover faster, and perhaps could even save their life."

So it seems a cat's purr is really magical. Besides healing people, cats are able to heal themselves, too.

Adapted from https://medium.com/chilled-cat/the-healing-power-of-your-cats-purr-bbdb6b2642ca

Name : Nadya Octaviana Pramana Putri

Student Number : 183211109