2023-10-09 10:03:42
michellegibson / Getty Images Grey Tabby Kitten feeling safe and protected, falls asleep in the hands of an elderly woman owner. Image shows portrait of the cat and only the elderly woman’s hand and torso area
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According to these researchers, domestic cats have “pads” integrated into their vocal cords allowing them to vibrate at low frequencies.
NATURE – Pads elsewhere than on the paws of our dear felines? This is the hypothesis raised by scientists, in a study published this October 3 in Current Bioloogy, and which might explain the mysterious phenomenon of cat purring. According to these researchers, domestic cats have “pads” integrated into their vocal cords, which add an additional layer of fatty tissue, allowing them to vibrate at low frequencies.
Cat purring is currently far from being understood by science. The low-frequency vocalizations – usually between 20 and 30 hertz (Hz) – involved in purring are generally only seen in much larger animals, such as elephants, whose vocal cords are much longer.
For this study, the team of Christian Herbst, a voice specialist at the University of Vienna (Austria), studied the larynxes of eight deceased domestic cats – euthanized in the terminal phase of an incurable illness. They then pressed their vocal cords together and passed a stream of warm, humidified air through them. All the cats then produced a purr. And this, without any muscular contraction or neuronal input. Which does not mean that the latter can have an impact on their power or intensity.
“Pads” in Cats’ Vocal Cords
This shows, however, that the brain is not necessarily involved in the appearance of purring, “ a big surprise » for scientists. Examining the felines’ anatomy more closely, they discovered unusual masses of fibrous tissue embedded in their vocal cords, the function of which no one knew. It’s possible that these “pads” increase the density of the vocal cords, which would make them vibrate more slowly and allow cats to produce low-frequency sounds, despite their relatively small size.
However, this theory remains to be confirmed by further research. Questioned by the magazine Science, David Rice, a biomechanist at Tulane University who has conducted work on the mechanics of cat purring, believes that this experiment does not guarantee that the vocal cords of living animals behave the same way. To be sure, the ideal would be, of course, to repeat the experience with live cats…
And above all, this study, although it puts forward an interesting hypothesis, does not resolve all the mysteries surrounding purring: if the brain is not involved, how and why is it triggered? Should it be interpreted as a sign of contentment or affection, as humans like to believe? Does it act as a calming mechanism and promote healing? These questions remain unanswered.
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