Cyril's Purring Repertoire: 6 Different Purrs & Their Meanings

Hi, I'm Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.

Before I met Cyril, I foolishly believed that purring had just two settings: on and off. Your cat was either purring or it wasn’t, and except for those that may be purring as a method of self-soothing, purring is usually a pretty good indicator that your cat is happy and content. With Cyril, whose purring is often experienced up close and personal due to his love of curling up on or around my head, I have learned that there may be different levels of purring, with different tones and pitches meaning different things. Perhaps it is similar to how mothers are able to tell the difference between different baby cries, when to the rest of us, it all just sounds the same.

What’s lovely is that Cyril is a particularly ‘purry’ cat, and certainly gives the impression of being a very contented individual. Then again, there’s not too much he could complain about, apart from his calorie-controlled diet. He has free rein over the house, with a room that is set up to be ‘cats only – no dogs allowed’. He has the constant company of his ‘brother from another mother’ Alex, who sees to his allogrooming, chasing, and cuddling needs, and an unlimited supply of snugs from me or my Husband. So it’s not all that surprising that he is always one head scritch away from purring.

Cyril’s Catalogue of Purrs

The rest of our clowder purr, too, but it is only Cyril that seems to have a catalogue of distinct purr types.

To date, I have been able to identify six individual types:

1. The Entry Level Purr

This is the standard, the basic, the starting level purr. This purr can be triggered by looking his way or saying his name. Basic attention and absent-minded strokes will maintain the entry-level purr with very little effort.

2. The Inquisitive Purr

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but it seems interesting and I’m happy to be part of it” is the underlying theme behind this purr. It combines a softer purr with sniffing and snuffling as he happily comes to explore what you’re doing, or more importantly, what you’re eating. This will often lead to the next on our list.

3. The Food Purr

This one comes out when Cyril is engaged in one of his favorite activities – eating. It may start with the entry level or inquisitive purr, but when the food is in front of him, it escalates to a deeper rumble as he somehow tries to pair prehension and swallowing with breathing and purring. This purr may stop and start regularly to facilitate a big swallow or enthusiastic nose lick, but this deep, gravelly purr typically lasts for the duration of the meal, dialling back to an entry-level purr when the post-meal grooming session commences.

4. The Tentative Purr

To the untrained ear, the tentative purr can sound quite similar to the inquisitive purr, and it does share some of the same qualities. It differs slightly in delivery and tone, however, with a slightly softer purr than even the entry level, and there is more sniffing, less snuffling. This one means that he’s still happy to be involved, but he’s somewhat more wary about what might happen next. We hear this one when we’re snuggling in the vicinity of Kodah.

5. The Catnip Purr

Cyril and Alex are both particularly sensitive to the intoxicating effects of catnip. So much so that the sound of the container being opened brings them running. The effects of this most potent member of the catmint genus work within seconds, leaving Cyril rolling about in a black-eyed daze. The inebriated catnip purr is almost like panting in its cadence, with the excitement induced by the catnip and the enthusiasm to draw more in through the sinuses and vomeronasal organ, leading to a combination of deep, long rumbles punctuated by short, shallow breaths.

6. The Blissful Purr

This is actually the first of Cyril’s distinct purrs that I noticed and identified as being unique to his standard, entry-level purr. It is the one he emits with great enthusiasm as he walks over me, curls around me, and invariably settles his fluffy body around my head when I’m lying down. He will also use the blissful purr when he is forcing himself between me and the computer, or trying to push my phone out of the way. This purr is, by far, my favorite, and is characterized by a loud purr coupled with a deep chuffing sound and a high-pitched whistling. If a purring cat truly can trigger an endorphin release in humans, this one should be bottled and used as a natural antidepressant.

The blissful purr is the only one that I have also identified in both Clutch and Alex, with the high-pitched feature clearly separating it from any other purring sound. This purr is often accompanied by drooling, and the facial expression I like to call ‘gooey.’

Purrfect Communication

I don’t know if Cyril has conscious control over these different purr types, or if they are simply an audible expression of how his emotional state affects his physiology; I suspect the latter. Whatever the case, I love that I have discovered more layers to his personality and that he can subconsciously communicate with me more clearly.

Do your cats have different types of purrs?