New study shows: Cats purr differently than previously thought

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The observed sound production mechanism is strikingly similar to the human wheezing sound, according to a statement from the University of Vienna on Wednesday. This is a special technique that singers use to produce deep, rattle sounds.

To reach this conclusion, a team of researchers from the University of Olomouc, the University of Vienna, the Swiss Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (Fibl) and the Czech Palacký University, examined larynxes surgically removed from cats that had died (due to incurable diseases).

A special mechanism

Until now, researchers assumed that cat purring was produced by a specific mechanism: rhythmic relaxation and contraction of the muscles in the larynx. According to the University of Vienna, this requires constant neural input and corresponding control from the brain.

However, data from the laboratory experiment show that the domestic cat’s larynx can produce low tones at purring frequencies without neural input or cyclic muscle contractions.

The University of Vienna said the results of the study were a clear indication that the current understanding of cat purring is incomplete and requires further research. (SDA)

Source : Blick