[neilep (OP)]

I just luff cats purring !

I totally love it !

But do all cats purr ?...I mean the big ones too !

I also once heard that the ' purr ' is not just a sign of pleasure but also one of discontent.....any truth in this ?

[another_someone]

http://www.catster.com/breeds/chartreux

The Chartreux is an internationally recognized breed of domestic cat from France. Chartreux cats tend to be quiet, rarely making noises such as mewing or crying, and some are mute. They are quite observant and intelligent, with some Chartreux learning to operate radio on/off buttons and to open screen door latches. Chartreux cats are playful cats well into their adult years; some can be taught to fetch small objects in the same manner as a dog. Chartreux are good with children and other animals. They are non-aggressive and affectionate, good travelers, and generally very healthy. Chartreux tend to bond with one person in their household, preferring to be in their general vicinity, though they are still loving and affectionate to the other members of the household.

Not sure if one should interpret this to mean that these cats are mute because they purr but not meow, or whether the term mute is to be interpreted in the way one would otherwise use it, as meaning it utters no sound.

[neilep (OP)]

How fascinating !...(no sarcasm there..I mean it ! )...A domestic breed that is very quiet.

Thank you for this George.

[moonfire]

Wow! Georgie I am impressed!  I had no idea that you "love" cats?  We will have to discuss this weekend...hehe

[neilep (OP)]

But what about BIG cats !! ?...me wants to know if Tigers and Lions purr !

[Karen W.]

Here is what I found interesting too!
From look smart articals

 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1169/is_n5_v33/ai_17338585

National Wildlife,  August-Sept, 1995  by Doug Stewart

Do lions purr? And why are there no green mammals?
National Wildlife,  August-Sept, 1995  by Doug Stewart


Once again, National Wildlife answers 10 pressing questions about the animal kingdom

Time again to dig through the mail-bag for questions about wildlife that have lately vexed, intrigued or otherwise baffled our readers. So, without further ado, here are the answers to our editors' top 10 choices of your queries.

Do lions purr?

Contented lions might if they could, but they can't. Only the smaller cats - not just house cats, but also bobcats, ocelots, lynxes and others - have what it takes to purr. The relevant apparatus is a tightly connected linkage of delicate bones running from the back of the feline tongue up to the base of the skull. When in a purring frame of mind, a cat vibrates its larynx, which in turn sets the twiglike hyoid bones to resonating. No one is sure why cats evolved this ability, but one possibility is that a mother's purr helps camouflage the mewling of her vulnerable nursing kittens, a sound that might otherwise alert and attract predators. All purring cats can make the distinctive sound continuously, both breathing in and breathing out.

In big cats - lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars - a length of tough cartilage runs up the hyoid bones to the skull. This feature prevents purring but also gives the larynx enough flexibility to produce a full-throated roar - 114 decibels' worth in the case of one lion tested. The sound can be loud enough to be near a human's pain threshold. Purring ability, rather than size or behavior, is one of two chief distinctions between the two main genera of cat, Felis and Panthera. (The other difference is that the eyes of the former have pupils that narrow to vertical slits.) These genera are sometimes called "the purring cats" and "the roaring cats," respectively, although among the latter only the lion roars habitually. Other large cats are more apt to snarl, yowl, hiss, spit, grunt or cough.
One big cat that purrs but can't roar is the cheetah. Biologists place it in a genus all its own (Acinonyx), simply because it can't retract its claws completely. Also unique to the cheetah is a high-pitched chirp, said to resemble a canary's. "When I first heard it," Theodore Roosevelt once wrote, "I was sure that it was uttered by some bird, and I looked about quite a time before finding it was the call of a cheetah."

[Carolyn]

This is Bob again.  He's the size of a small bob cat.  He doesn't purr much, he growls.  I'm not a cat person, but I like this cat....he's a real tough kitty!

[neilep (OP)]

Here is what I found interesting too!
From look smart articals

 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1169/is_n5_v33/ai_17338585

National Wildlife,  August-Sept, 1995  by Doug Stewart

Do lions purr? And why are there no green mammals?
National Wildlife,  August-Sept, 1995  by Doug Stewart

THANK EWE KAREN...very interesting !!

[neilep (OP)]

This is Bob again.  He's the size of a small bob cat.  He doesn't purr much, he growls.  I'm not a cat person, but I like this cat....he's a real tough kitty!

Aww..Bob is sooo cute.....don't forget to check out my favourite site for stuff upon cats http://www.stuffonmycat.com/

[tony6789]

im cute as a kitty and i dont purr!!!

[neilep (OP)]

im cute as a kitty and i dont purr!!!

I am sure you'd make a real cute kitty kat if ewe were one Tony !!....think of all the fun ewe could have crapping in next doors garden..and catching frogs and whales !!

[Karen W.]

Here is what I found interesting too!
From look smart articals

 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1169/is_n5_v33/ai_17338585

National Wildlife,  August-Sept, 1995  by Doug Stewart

Do lions purr? And why are there no green mammals?
National Wildlife,  August-Sept, 1995  by Doug Stewart

THANK EWE KAREN...very interesting !!

your Welcome. I thought the thing about the eyes being a distinquishable catogory of purring or non purring cats was interesting , with the cheetah as an exception! ..I left the other questions just because they were there and interesting too!!

[Bored chemist]

Not all cats purr.
http://www.amazon.com/101-Uses-Dead-Simon-Bond/dp/0517545160

[neilep (OP)]

Not all cats purr.
http://www.amazon.com/101-Uses-Dead-Simon-Bond/dp/0517545160

Hee Hee !!

[Karen W.]

I could just imagine the content of that book!LOL