Purring Is the Cat Form of Vocal Fry

New research found how such small animals can produce sounds at a low register
By Gina Carey,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 14, 2023 8:30 AM CDT
Purring Is the Cat Form of Vocal Fry
A study says the register of a cat's purr is quite like human vocal fry.   (Getty / Nils Jacobi)

We all know what a cat's communicating when it lets out a pleased purr, but now researchers have solved the puzzle of how our feline friends are able to produce that distinct sound. The Guardian reports that the low register in a cat's deep purring is more common to animals with long vocal cords, like elephants or cheetahs. It turns out that the mechanism cats use to purr is similar to how humans produce vocal fry, that gravelly tone associated with singers like Britney Spears or Kurt Cobain. "Anatomical investigations revealed a unique 'pad' within the cats' vocal folds that may explain how such a small animal, weighing only a few kilograms, can regularly produce sounds at those incredibly low frequencies," researcher Dr. Christian Herbst tells Forbes.

Herbst and his team made the discovery after dissecting the larynxes of eight cats that had been euthanized. They found masses of fibrous tissue embedded in the vocal cords, and when they compressed and pumped air through them, they saw how the movement could produce sound at such a low register. The finding debunks prior research that posited that purring was spurred by contractions in the vocal folds constantly signaled by the brain. "Despite the long history of cats and humans interacting, we still know so little about them, their bodies, and their behaviors," says Julia Henning, a doctoral candidate studying feline behavior. "This study begins to investigate some of the less researched aspects of cat anatomy and anatomical function, but further research is still needed."

According to Science.org, vocal fry, the lowest of the three vocal registers, was once considered a speech impediment. Now, it's a trend not just in popular music, but in how people talk. A recent study found that the majority of college-aged women switched to vocal fry frequently when speaking. "Young students tend to use it when they get together," says speech scientist Nassima Abdelli-Beruh. "Maybe this is a social link between members of a group." (Whether using vocal fry or not, there's now proof cats listen to us).

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