Two Of My Cats Have Strange Purrs.

MistyDawn · Aug 25, 2017

On the inhale, they make a little chirp. Is this normal? Anyone else heard of this?

Mamanyt1953 · Aug 25, 2017

Not that, precisely, but I've heard a LOT of odd purrs in my life. Just another amazing thing about these house panthers!

margd · Aug 25, 2017

Does the chirping sound last the entire time they are inhaling? If so, it might be a symptom of an obstruction of some sort. I don't mean to scare you - that's a worst case scenerio. If it's an obstruction, it would be odd for both of your cats to have the exact same problem.

Have both cats always chirped as far as you know? And are they related?

Since they don't seem to have any problems with breathing, I wouldn't worry about it but the next time you take them to the vet, definitely ask the vet for an explanation. Also, pay close attention for the sound to get louder or change in anyway. That would call for vet visit.

losna · Aug 25, 2017

It could also be that one of them is simply imitating the other. Our cats pick up each other's quirks all the time. The one that makes me go why ... why .... is slurping. Sinbad is missing a lot of teeth, so he makes slurping sounds when he grooms, particularly his toes. Bêlit came to the conclusion that this must be how grooming is supposed to sound, and she worked hard at copying his slurps until she got it right.

Now it constantly sounds like someone is draining the last dregs of a milkshake through a straw somewhere in the house.

Loki_Lily · Aug 26, 2017

I am no expert, but it is a great idea to check that kind of stuff with the vet. while purring is considered a behavior, any sound out of the ordinary should be checked by a vet. My little girl Lily would breath with that asthma sound sometimes. It would come and go but had never completely left. Took her to the vet and he said she is perfectly healthy but does show symptoms of allergies and apparently that's common and some children's benadryl should take care of the problem. :dunno:

Needless to say, it was a relief. I hope your little fellas are completely healthy and just different. Please keep us posted! :hearthrob:

Mamanyt1953 · Aug 26, 2017

If this is a sudden change, I'd be concerned. However, if it is a "from day one" thing, then I think you are good. Just keep a watch to make sure there are no other things happening. If they are normally active, eating and drinking well and easily, and breathing normally otherwise, you probably just have chirpy purrers. Hekitty gets chirpy on occasion when the purring goes into overtime. It cost me $200 to find out that it's just how she purrs.

losna · Aug 26, 2017

$200 for a vet visit? :eek2:

Mamanyt1953 · Aug 26, 2017

There were tests. Several. He does give me discounts, bless him. And the flea meds and nail clip were free. LOL...he also gave me a discount on her testing when I just knew she was diabetic. Nope, just fat and thirsty.

losna · Aug 26, 2017

We have a cat with advanced kidney disease who gets multiple tests including full blood panels every visit, and even so, her bills only run $130, $157 including her medications. A normal exam is $70. Fecals are $36. We've only ever gone over $150 for full dental surgery, which runs about $400. I find $200 for a visit, even with testing, completely shocking. I guess we are just really lucky with our local vets?

Alejandra Rico · Aug 26, 2017

losna said:
We have a cat with advanced kidney disease who gets multiple tests including full blood panels every visit, and even so, her bills only run $130, $157 including her medications. A normal exam is $70. Fecals are $36. We've only ever gone over $150 for full dental surgery, which runs about $400. I find $200 for a visit, even with testing, completely shocking. I guess we are just really lucky with our local vets?

But

Mamanyt1953 didn't say that was for a single visit. She said that It took several tests to see that cat was healthy and that it was just a behaviour, so vet was obviously looking for illnesses causing possible breathing problems.

Mamanyt1953 · Aug 27, 2017

Yep. He was thorough. He knows that Hek is all I have, pretty much. One son lives in Tennessee, over 450 miles away, and the other is in AMSTERDAM NETHERLANDS, for pete's sake. Hekitty is who is with me daily. It was two visits, so not so bad.

MistyDawn · Aug 29, 2017

No, it's just kind of at the start of the breath. Both cats have done it since the first time I heard them purr. It intensifies when they're excited, but usually it's subtle unless they're in your face or your ear is against them (one lies next to my ear and licks my face. I love the feel of his long. Most would think I'm weird for letting a kitten literally flop down on my face, but I love the feel of his long, soft coat against my cheek, and his long paw tufts kneading gently around my nose. I love my affectionate baby boy.)

Neither has any trouble breathing and it's only when they purr. Both are perfectly healthy in every way. One is a kitten and one is one of my grown-ups. I don't really even know if "chirp" is the word, it's just a high pitched sound akin to a chirp. It goes *normal inhale, chirpy start to exhale, chirp decrescendos, repeat*. It's cute and charming but I was just wondering if it's anything anyone else has seen, or maybe if it just has to do with their voices. Both chirp and trill more than meow.

If I can manage to get a decent recording of it, is there a way to upload it here?

Mamanyt1953 · Aug 30, 2017

I think that there is, but I don't know that trick, either. I know how to upload a Youtube, so if you post it there first, I'M YOUR GAL! Just copy the youtube link, click on the little film icon, paste the link there and hit "Post Reply" when you're done with everything.

The more you tell us about this, the more I'm convinced that this is just the way that they purr. I did find a LOT of youtubes about chirping cats, so evidently, this must be pretty common. LOL...NOW I have heard cats chirping when they purr! Amazing how often this site broadens my horizons.

SarahB91 · Aug 31, 2017

My cats chirp at birds. Could play into that excitement factor you mention.

MistyDawn · Sep 28, 2017

One of these two charters at birds. Then again, he's confirmed half Maine Coon, and I'm about to author a thread about the other one, the kitten, having a bizarre growth pattern that could mean he may be too.

misty8723 · Sep 28, 2017

Sometimes when Cricket purrs she actually sounds like a Cricket. I do not know if that's how she got her name (she was named by the foster, and I kept it), but it isn't all the time. To my knowledge, she is perfectly healthy.

Neither of my cats is the purr constant. It's more like purr PURR purr PURR purr. I thought it was odd in Swanie, but Cricket does it too.

Alejandra Rico · Sep 28, 2017

misty8723 said:
Sometimes when Cricket purrs she actually sounds like a Cricket. I do not know if that's how she got her name (she was named by the foster, and I kept it), but it isn't all the time. To my knowledge, she is perfectly healthy.

Neither of my cats is the purr constant. It's more like purr PURR purr PURR purr. I thought it was odd in Swanie, but Cricket does it too.

I thought all cats sound like that, because the sound is different when they inhale and exhale. At least all mine sound like yours

dustydiamond1 · Oct 2, 2017

losna said:
It could also be that one of them is simply imitating the other. Our cats pick up each other's quirks all the time. The one that makes me go why ... why .... is slurping. Sinbad is missing a lot of teeth, so he makes slurping sounds when he grooms, particularly his toes. Bêlit came to the conclusion that this must be how grooming is supposed to sound, and she worked hard at copying his slurps until she got it right.

Now it constantly sounds like someone is draining the last dregs of a milkshake through a straw somewhere in the house.