While everyone who has ever been around a cat knows that cats purr, what is less common knowledge is why they do so. While scientists have not been able to come to a concrete conclusion as to exactly why cats purr, they have found some interesting reasons behind this behavior.

Surprisingly, cats do not only purr when they are happy and content. They also purr when they are stressed out or in pain. Given this fact, some scientists believe that purring is a cat’s way of coping with problematic or difficult situation.

Purring is also clearly a form of communication. Mother cats purr to their kittens and the kittens purr back. This type of communications serves wild cats well, as predators are not able to detect the low, humming sound.

A cat’s purr also helps it to heal. Because purring is a low frequency sound, it eases muscle pain and enables broken bones to mend faster than they would have otherwise.

Purring is more than just a sound. It is a fascinating behavioral trait that is unique to cats and while science is not able to figure out all the reasons why cats purr, it is clear that doing so is of great benefit to cats and helps them express their feelings, deal with pain and discomfort and more.