Can a cat’s purr be so loud so that nobody wants to adopt the cat? It sounds far fetched but it did happen. A homeless cat has been shunned because it is said that he has possibly the loudest purr in the world at 93 dB. The loudness was recorded with a smart phone app so it might not be completely accurate but nonetheless at 93 dB it is said to be four times louder than the average purr.
If the player above does not work please try the links below. Thanks.
- Bluey’s super loud purr – this is a link to play the purr for Apple Macs.
- Cat purr that was too loud – please click to hear purr – This is a link to play the purr for PCs. If this fails to work please tell me in a comment.
The cat in question is a twelve-year-old male called Bluey. He used to belong to an elderly person who was hospitalised and he ended up at the Blue Cross in Cambridge, UK.
The manager at the centre, Alan Maskell said:
“A man who came to see her on Saturday just said, ‘Oh no, that’s much too loud’.”
I have never heard of somebody rejecting a shelter cat because his purr is too loud. Fortunately along came a woman who was more open-minded let’s say and who was not put off by the tractor-like noise. She adopted Bluey last Wednesday. She took him home today. There is therefore a happy ending.
At the top of the page there is a recording of Bluey’s purr which certainly is loud and it is also has a sharp edge to it; a raucous edge. Bluey is a medium long-haired tabby-and-white cat and you can see a video of him on this page on the BBC News website from which the recording has been taken.
Do you think a cat should be rejected because his purr is too loud?
Yet, there are people who will tolerate this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOxwffK0xUc
Bring the cat in, toss the man out for the night.
That sounds like a neat idea but not for me 😉 .
“Bring the cat in, toss the man out for the night.”
Dee: That made me think of the closing credits of the Flintstones, when Fred gets locked outside by their pet sabretooth 😉
Michelle, Never heard anything like it. LOL.. I love loud purrs and I am so relieved that you think he is in good health. It just makes me wonder a little bit.
There is no such thing as a purr that is too loud. Obviously that man has no business with cats. I am thrilled for Bluey that some kind lady came along and adopted him. He didn’t need that man anyway!
To me, the louder the better! There are times that my cat can be heard at least 20 feet away, depending on how happy he is at the time. Life would be unbearable without purring. They have healing powers and always put me in a good mood, no matter what. Kitty Power! 😀
I agree that if a person is being picky about the loudness of his cat’s purr then we have to question whether he is committed to looking after a cat.
I love loud purrs- the louder the better as far as I am concerned. But this purr almost sounds to me like this cat has some upper respiratory problem which might be helped by a competent veterinarian. There is something is the sound that doesn’t seem to be resonating normally.
That is a pretty canny observation. You may well be correct.
Jo, I think Bluey’s purr sounds like the soliciting one they use sometimes. The Blue Cross are a good animal charity and with Bluey having been a stray, he would have been given a good health check before going up for adoption.
It is odd that some people thought his purr was too loud. I don’t think it is louder than a person speaking slightly louder than normal in which case these people should be rejecting the friendship of other people on the basis that they speak too loudly. I don’t know anyone who has rejected someone because they speak too loudly. It seems that there is a prejudice involved against the cat.
I can’t help thinking it was more the tone, than volume of the purr which might have put that man off adopting him.
One of the ladies in my office has a very monotone voice, and believe me that can get irritating after a while 😉
I am sure you are correct. Some people might find it a special sound, an interesting sound. I do. Also cats don’t purr unless there is a reason and the reason does not occur that much throughout the day.
May be the lady with a monotone voice also has a monotone character.
She’s a nice lady so I feel mean complaining about her voice, but I now know where the expression “to drone on” comes from 😉
I wouldn’t have minded Bluey’s loud purr. I thought it was charming, but I guess we all have a different response to different sounds. Much the same as we all enjoy different types of music.
i cant imagine someone not getting/keeping a cat because of THAT. i guess i can kind of understand, but somebody like that probably shouldnt have a cat anyway. my other cat, well hes really my exes cat, Blake. he purrs that loud too when hes really happy. its tonality is more mellow, & its definitely not as crisp/”tinny”, but it is THAT loud, & we love him for it. thats our running joke that his purrs sound like a motorboat(our kids call him Kittyboat Blake sometimes). when he sits on your lap, which is a treat cuz he doesnt do it for everybody, & he purrs, u can feel him vibrating your legs. its like having a heating & message pad on your lap. its hilarious, & make my girls break off in peals of giggles & riotous laughter every time. cant imagine not hearing him purr every time i brush him. the person that didnt adopt him missed out, but it was most likely better for the cat that THAT didnt happen.
Wow, you have an unusual cat. As the cat purr is meant to be therapeutic and is said to have healing properties perhaps he helps to keep you healthy 😉
That purr sounds like a snore, and could keep you awake if in the same room. I’m glad to know he got adopted, but I can understand some resistance to it.
I have added an embedded player so it is easier to hear. It is very loud but I think I would be okay with it. I’d probably boast about him to my neighbors 😉 .
Perhaps it was the raspy tone of the purr which didn’t ealed to that gentleman. It has the same “throaty”, quality heard in the soliciting purr.
I love Bluey’s colouring, he looks like a real sweetheart.
of course not.. purrs are purrfect.
Did not hear it however. I don’t have that player:(
Jo, I have added an embedded audio player do please try and hear this purr!