Can clouded leopards purr?

Clouded leopard purring. Screenshot.

This video shows a clouded leopard purring in my opinion although it is a typically rough edged (harder and deeper) sound so characteristic of the larger wild cats. Unsurprisingly, it is not as gentle as the domestic cat purr. The person who published the video on YouTube questioned if it was snoring but I can’t agree that it is snoring bearing in mind the amount of petting the cat is receiving. The purring is a response to petting just like a domestic cat which does not surprise me. The wild cats are almost identical to domestic cats in almost all facets of their character and behaviour.

The best book on the wild cat species: Wild Cats Of The World states that ‘clouded leopards have the typical repertoire of felid vocalisations, including the mew [meow], hiss, spit and growl but they probably do not purr’. The book was published in 2002. The video was first aired in 2019. I think the authors of that wonderful book would have written something a little different if it was published in 2020.

The clouded leopard shares the vocalisations listed above with the domestic cat yet it is said that ‘the clouded leopard shows such a close relationship with the tiger in its vocalisations that some taxonomists have placed the tiger in the genus Neofelis with the clouded leopard’.

The clouded leopard does not roar but has a long distance moaning call which it delivers from a ‘tiger hill’. It probably serves to attract a mate and/or to keep cats apart by advertising their presence.

Note: videos on this site are often made by third parties and held on YouTube servers or the servers of other businesses. Sometimes the videos are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. It that has happened I apologise but I have no control over it.

Clouded leopards seen at 3,500 meters above sea level

It is reported that the elusive clouded leopard has been spotted in the Langtang National Park, in Nepal, on the ...
Read More

Are clouded leopards dangerous?

The clouded leopard weights about 18 kg (35 pounds) but it varies between 11 and 23 kg. So, they are ...
Read More

Clouded leopard climbs all over Patrick Aryee and nibbles his ear

This is a super charming encounter between the biologist and presenter Patrick Aryee (great job by the way) and a ...
Read More

Are clouded leopards really leopards?

The answer is no and I'll explain why. The classification of the species is decided by experts and it is ...
Read More

Pictures of two clouded leopard kittens and two caracal kittens

Two excellent photographs of two siblings of two different species of medium-sized wild cat: caracal and clouded leopard ...
Read More

Baby Clouded Leopards (picture)

They are Columbus Zoo's precious 1-month-old clouded leopards kittens; their latest arrivals. Their coats are magnificent. The adult clouded leopard ...
Read More

Clouded Leopard Lap Cat

This is a cute cat picture with a difference because the cat is a clouded leopard who looks adoringly into ...
Read More

Where Do Clouded Leopards Live?

This map shows you where clouded leopards live. It is in the form a globe so you can get a ...
Read More