BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Cats My cat doesn't purr

A little background....We are the new parents of a beautiful long haired black kitty. She followed my daughter home from the store one night and she just would not go away. It got cold and I couldn't stand to hear her crying outside. So I brought her in, gave her a bath (which she liked for some odd reason). Anyways, she is a very affectionate cat. Always sitting on someone, always wanted to rub foreheads with you, etc. Well you would expect to be hearing a normal loud kitty purr. But she doesn't make any noise. I have put my hand to her neck. I can feel a vibration but no noise. She meows and talks like any normal kitty but no purrs. Is this normal?

Jeanette you may be able to find out why your kitty doesn't purr at www.catster.com

My cat is like that too. We've had her for six years, and she's a very friendly and affectionate wee thing. Like your cat she meows and rubs against people, but her purr is barely anything beyond just a vibration!

So I think it is quite normal behaviour. If you're worried you could ask your vet.

Thanks to both of you!

Is the cat very young? I've had a quiet purrer before, and I understand it's normal for some cats to just have a quiet purr. But I've also noticed with many of the cats that have been in my life that the purr seems much quieter when the animal is young. My current cat was a pathetic stray kitten of about six months with a barely audible purr when I met her. Now, at age two, she sounds like a lawn mower.

It is hard to say how old she is. She isn't a kitten, she may be around 2ish. I will have to post a picture of here from the digital camera. She is getting more and more playful too. For the first week we had her she just wanted to be held and petted, wasn't into playing much. The past 2 days she has been running crazy during dinner time and while we sit in the living room playing games with the kids or watching a movie. It is really funny to see her do it. We also bought her some toys that she is taking to as well. Last night she laid on my pillow near my head and I could barely hear her purr. She is a sweetie though.

More noise may come with more confidence. It sounds like she's just starting to get comfortable in her new home. Even if she stays quiet, though, it sounds like you got a winner. Best of luck to you and your new pet!


PS: Even with an adult cat, the vet can give you an estimate on age. The guesses tend to be more accurate with kittens, but you can still get a ballpark figure.
Tip: If the vet think she's anywhere between one and four, they'll say "two or two and a half" almost every time. This error can be a bit of an issue later on, when the cat reaches her senior years (age seven or so -signs of aging vary) and starts slowing down a bit. You and the vet think she's only five or six and might think she's sick and run a lot of unnecessary tests only to find out she's just getting old. No fun for cat, owner, or wallet!

I've always had purring cats, but I can imagine it's like with humans, every cat is unique and different! Maybe your cat learned early on to be super silent, and that skill helped her to survive

My 2 are both silent purrers. I have to put a finger on their throats to feel the vibration, but it is there! They are the first cats I've ever had that didn't sound like motorcycles; they are siblings, maybe it is genetic. They are 7 years old and I've had them since 6 weeks of age, so they are certainly comfortable and secure.

Are they longhairs? I've heard that persians have a very soft mew and purr.

I have had a lot of cats that do not purr loudly, some we could barely hear. Why do they purr anyway? Is that a sign of contentment as my mother used to say?

Some pet behavior people think that a purr signals "I am no threat to you", which is a calming message. A happy, contented cat is no threat to anybody. I purr to my cats and find that it relaxes them if they are nervous.

Sometimes they do it to calm themselves down when hurt badly too. My friend's cat got it's tail yanked off and a broken leg when it was hiding in someone's car engine in the winter. (another reason why I think cats should be indoor-only if at all possible). When they found her, bleeding and hiding under the porch, she was purring loudly enough to vibrate the air, but she was obviously NOT happy.

Our cat Dixie has a very light purr and it takes a lot of loving to get her purr motor going. Her companion Noodle will wake you up with her purring. Dixie was found in a trailer lot as a kitten and could fit into the palm of your hand. She was skin and bones. She's always been very reserved, hiding when anyone she doesn't know enters the house. Noodle is her complete opposite, always under your feet running around the house. Maybe it has something to do with their individual personalities, I suppose.

I met a cat on Friday who purred so loudly you could FEEL it. His name is yowler, he's quite vocal. He's named for obvious reasons, since he yowled when he saw me, yelling "PET ME!!" Meanwhile, my cat has a very soft purr, most of the time I can't even hear it, just feel it.

I had a wild cat named Wild one when i was small she was gray and I ran around tring to get her to play with me but...she was not a playing cat. she hated people. she got in the house and had kittens behind the sofa and we didnt know it! she came up the vent had her kittens and she would sneek in and out from the vent. then kitten never made a sound! one day I was laying on the floor asleep and woke up in the middle of small baby kittens I thought God had droped them from heaven just for me to play with and love! Wild one wasnt happy but I sure was! there was ten on them! I was 3 anyways none of then purred at all. I have noticed that if the moma cat has been taught not to do something the kitten wont either same with dogs. my dog wont bark in the house at all unless something is wrong.

if the moma cat was hurt and could not purr or was afaid to purr she could have taught your cat not to purr either. I tried in vain to get those kitten to purr just because I liked the fact they sounded like me with my asthma at night but they did it just cause it was a normal cat thing....

I have a siamese mix long hair that I got when he was 6 weeks old. He is now 2 yrs old. I have never heard him purr or meow. Every blue moon he will let out a lil squeak when he is waiting to be fed. I've alway thought this weird. Have always had cats that purred an meowed. Could this be genetic or just his personality. He's a very loving , lap sitting cat.

Because of my hearing disability i couldn't hear my cat Asia purr
But i could feel him purring
Now with my hearing aids i can
My sisters cat Mikey doesn't purr but is very loving and playful
Then while cuddling Mikey I had my hand on his chest couldn't hear him purring but I could feel it

I had a cat like that when I was a kid. Also a longhair. I couldn't figure out why people always made a purring noise when they talked about cats because mine never made that noise (I was really young). Anyhow, I never gave it much thought until I saw your post. I wonder why - maybe your cat is just a soft purrer as others seem to think? Who cares - you found the cat and love it, that is GREAT!