On the front is a dial tunable from soft to loud. Logical, elegant, flawless. Whatever the physical mechanism, a cat's purr prowess is symbolic of its intrinsic capacity for self-expression and its desire to communicate, if only with itself. We talk to ourselves. Many observers believe that a cat's purr indicates an overflow of emotion, a true measure of profundity.
Caregivers are sometimes shocked to hear a deep purr resonating from a badly injured or dying cat.
Perhaps the rhythmic vibration of the purr is as comforting to the cat as it is to its human companions. Researchers have demonstrated that stroking a purring cat can lower human blood pressure and pulse rate, as well as increase feelings of peace and well-being. Anyone who lives with a cat will attest to the calming, even hypnotic effect of a purring, kneading cat. One woman, who with her imperturbable cat has endured thousands of aftershocks since the January 1994 earthquake in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, is a passionate believer in purr therapy. Tabby hates the aftershocks as much as I do, but she stays close by.