# My Cats Don't Purr...Do Yours?



## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

My cats don't purr, and I’m trying to assess whether this is the norm for many cats or whether my two are unusual. 

When Muffin was younger, she would purr upon occasion – but I haven’t heard her purr for well over a year now. She’s now 18 months old. She’s very skittish and always has been. She hates to be held or sit on my lap, although she enjoys being petted (when she’s in her cat tree and such). Still, she never purrs. 

When Abby was a baby, she would purr a LOT. She’s now 15 months old. Abby likes to sit on my lap, although she tends to stay for only a few minutes. Then something will catch her attention and she’s off. When she’s sitting on my lap, she will occasionally purr (maybe once a month), but otherwise she never purrs either.

So, am I alone here? Or are there many others with cats who don’t purr or rarely purr? If your cat does purr, do he/she do so mainly when on your lap or at other times?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

With some cats, you have to put your hand to their throat to see if they're purring because it's not loud enough to hear. I have to do that with a couple of mine.


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## Jess041 (Jul 6, 2009)

You're not alone. Some cats don't purr, or their purr is so quiet, you can barely hear it. My cat is very quiet, and the only way I know if she's purring is if I put my ear to her chest... like a seashell lol. And the only time I notice her purring is when I pick her up to say hello when I come home from class. She's never been a loud purr-er, and she's just a quiet cat in general... doesn't meow much either.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Thanks, Marie & Jess. But would their purr become softer as they get older? I never had any trouble hearing Muffs or Abby purr when they were kittens. Still, I will try the hand to the throat technique (or the seashell technique!).


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Jess041 said:


> she's just a quiet cat in general... doesn't meow much either.


That's very descriptive of Muffin. She meows perhaps once every three or four months. I call her Muffs the Silent! Abby, on the other hand, loves the sound of her own voice. :?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Cali doesn't meow, either. Never has. She makes a soft "kaaa" sound. Charlee doesn't meow, she trills like R2D2. 

Cleo doesn't meow. She talks. And talks. And talks. Which I love. :grin:


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

Rochelle purrs occasionally, but she's very very quiet about it. I usually only notice when when I'm giving her a full body scratching. She's not very vocal anyways, and has the tiniest mew that is just adorable.

Samantha purrs all the time, and it varies from the barely audible to a full on V8 motor, hehe. She purrs when she's waiting for food, when she's laying in bed by herself, when she's playing with Rochelle or with toys, and most especially when she's getting lots of love, either in our laps or not (V8 comes out when the chin and thigh scratchies are being had, heh). Unlike Rochelle, she's incredibly vocal and uses her full domestic cat vocabulary on a daily basis.


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

Buttercup purrs quietly, so its hard to hear or feel. 

Wesley purrs so loud that he wakes me up for food that way if I don't close the bedroom door. He vibrates so much the pictures on the walls start shaking, and he does it the instant you touch him... IF he was the one that requested it. Otherwise he lowers his head and body to the floor creeping like "NO TOUCH". 

The downside though is that he never shuts up. He walks around most of the day meowing to himself for no apparent reason, so if I had a volume knob for them, I'd be happy to turn down the meows and purring heheheh!


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

marie73 said:


> Cali doesn't meow, either. Never has. She makes a soft "kaaa" sound. Charlee doesn't meow, she trills like R2D2.
> 
> Cleo doesn't meow. She talks. And talks. And talks. Which I love. :grin:


Sounds like you've got your own orchestra there! Muffs doesn't meow, or trill or talk or make any sounds whatsoever. She's definitely Muffs the Silent.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

She's so gorgeous, she makes silence beautiful.


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## Jess041 (Jul 6, 2009)

marie73 said:


> Charlee doesn't meow, she trills like R2D2.


That is the most perfect explanation of what Lexi does! It's pretty rare...


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## RowdyAndMalley (Aug 9, 2010)

Our Cats purr, trill, chirp, meow, talk... they are the most vocal pets I have ever had, and I love it


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

marie73 said:


> She's so gorgeous, she makes silence beautiful.


Thanks! Admittedly, I'm biased...but Muffin is beautiful, both in looks and in her nature. She's so gentle and well-behaved, it's unbelievable. If she ever does anything she shouldn't, which is rare in itself, I only have to say "No" and she stops. As for her sister, Abby...well, that's another story!


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

I agree with Marie, feel their throat. My little girl doesn't look like she purrs, and you can't hear it, but when I put my hand on her throat and chest I can feel a slight vibration.

On the other hand, Allegro purrs so loud I get afraid he'll hurt himself...


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## faithless (Dec 4, 2009)

My gal purred furiously as a kitten but purrs much quieter now, less frequently too. I think purring is usually kitten talk to their mom. In my gals case, I think it was a mix of that, plus youthful excitement and perhaps also a little "I'm friendly, please dont turn predator on me". Sometimes I think she also used it to bribe me. I would like her to purr as loudly and as often as when she was small, but I take it as a sign of trust that she doesnt feel the need to reassure me anymore.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Fay used to be a louder purrer. She still does but it's much quieter. I think she's trying not to alert her jealous step sister that there's affection going on. Mostly she trills but does have an "I'm lonely come here meow" that gets louder if I don't obey. When I pick her up I can feel her purr and when I'm close to her mouth I can hear it.

Tiny little Mia sounds like a motor boat and purrs the minute she's touched.


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## WhiteKitties (Dec 22, 2008)

Fergie purrs whenever someone is giving her attention, but her sister Fern purrs very rarely. She didn't purr for probably a year after we adopted her, and still the only time I hear her is on Sunday mornings when we all sleep in and she comes and cuddles with us under the covers. Otherwise, she spends a lot of time barking at us - give me food! Get my puff!


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## swatkat (Aug 21, 2010)

My cat Kenji purrs all the time the only time is when he is eating or sleeping or meeting new people and he is loud when he purrs, the older cat nala who is 13 purrs but it is not has loud has nala is like a motor boat while kenji is a truck.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Well, I'm pleased to hear I'm not alone and that the lack of purring doesn't mean my girls are miserable! It's also good to hear the comments from people whose cats purred more as kittens, but don't do so as much now that they're older. I will try the finger on the throat trick to see if I can feel anything (although I'm not holding out too much hope). As for the trucks and motor boats...sigh...perhaps someday!


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Fay also does the "Don't hurt me purr" when I pill her or take her to put on her flea meds.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Fortunately, I've never had to pill Muffin, and I'm not looking forward to the day I do. I think I'd get the "don't hurt me" stare, followed by a dash under the coffee table!


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

Egypt purrs really loudly and kneads when she does as well. Azalia, on the other hand, has never purred, but instead makes this weird "uh, uh, uh" noise. I am taking her to the vet to see if she has some sort of blockage or something. I've been meaning to do it for a little while, but something always came up and she's not in any pain and is otherwise healthy. She's been like this since I adopted her. It's as if she tries to purr, but can't. I NEED to know she's ok.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

dweamgoil said:


> Egypt purrs really loudly and kneads when she does as well. Azalia, on the other hand, has never purred, but instead makes this weird "uh, uh, uh" noise. I am taking her to the vet to see if she has some sort of blockage or something. I've been meaning to do it for a little while, but something always came up and she's not in any pain and is otherwise healthy. She's been like this since I adopted her. It's as if she tries to purr, but can't. I NEED to know she's ok.


I know what you mean about "needing to know". Muffin rarely speaks or meows, and when she does, she sounds like a cat with laryngitis! I too thought something might be wrong, such as a problem with her vocal cords. So, I had the vet check it out when she was there for a regular check-up. Fortunately, in her case, it turned out to be nothing. That's just her meow and her nature. Hopefully, the same will be true for Azalia and her unusual purr.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

*I have my fingers...*

and toes crossed 'til we see the Vet on Friday evening.


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## faithless (Dec 4, 2009)

yeah my gal rarely meows. She trills a lot and she marge simpson croaks instead of meowing. I also thought there might be something wrong until she surprised me by now and again giving a cute little kitty meow, so I know she can meow, its just not the way she speaks.


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## Luvkitties (Jan 22, 2009)

Patch is a purring machine. The first time I held him in my arms, he started purring and he has never stopped!  And he meows.... meows... meows.. all the time!!! He's our talker. 

He follows me everywhere and he keeps "talking" while we are walking. He always greets me when I come home with a loud "meeeeeeeeow" and then he starts meowing to tell me about his day for a couple of minutes. He meows 15 minutes in a row if necessary when he wants food or attention. Typical cat. 

Treize is more silent. BUT, when he wants attention he barks really loudly! He doesn't meow like the usual cat. We've always wondered if he was raised with dogs (he was found in the woods at 7 months old)! He also trills and chirps a lot. 

He didn't purr a lot when we first got him. After a year, he started purring when we petted him for a long time. Now (more than two years later), he purrs really loudly when we look at him... and even more when we pet him!  Maybe he has learned from Patch?


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Luvkitties said:


> Now (more than two years later), he purrs really loudly when we look at him... and even more when we pet him!  Maybe he has learned from Patch?


Hmmm...maybe I need to borrow Patch! It's nice to hear that Trieze started purring again. Perhaps there's hope for my girls yet. And Patch sounds charming!


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

Pumpkin squeaks rather than meows, and she has a quiet barely audible purr (but you can feel it pretty easily). It's strange because she definitely knew how to purr & meow when she was younger! She also makes the clicky hunting noise sometimes.

Simone is almost obnoxiously loud whether purring or whining.... I've actually had to push him away from me on the bed because he purrs so loud!!


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

According to Animal Planet, a flawed source, cats only meow at kittens and the big dumb furless cats that feed them.


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## Smittenkitten92 (Sep 22, 2010)

My cat Stinky will start to purr even if i just cough or sometimes move. My kitten purrs a lot and our other cats purr frequently, I know not all cats purr a lot though, I'm sure your cats are perfectly normal.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Well, I'm a furless mother cat, and Nina talks to me, especially when she's hungry and I'm too slow! But she's also a great purrer. She loves to get love! 

Susan, you're being cheated! Come on, girls; purr for Mommy!


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## Olivers-Slave (Jul 25, 2010)

my oliver never purrs but my nanna purrs over anything and everything now that she is getting better


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Jeanie said:


> Susan, you're being cheated! Come on, girls; purr for Mommy!


I agree Jeanie! Let's hope the girls listen to you. 

Well, I've come to the conclusion that my girls are normal, but still, I use to love it when Muffin or Abby would settle down beside me, purring at night. There's nothing more relaxing than the sound of a purring cat! Oh well, I can only hope that perhaps they'll improve with age.


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## Clutch (May 10, 2010)

I have two cats. Ringo, the older one, has never purred. Casey, the younger one, purrs like he's electric.


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

My Oreo has a faint purr and my Little Pumpkin purrs loud even when I pick her up which she hates. In fact, she is still purring while wiggling to get out of my arms. Cats - You gotta love 'em!!!


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## uhadmeatmeow (Mar 10, 2008)

My cat purrs, but not that loud. Maybe more when she's comfy or in distress, but not that much either...I've known cats that purr A LOT more than my cat and louder, so I'd guess it's normal, just like us, some of us talk less and others talk too much!!!


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