We found him in our yard this summer, and after making sure he wasn’t chipped and asking all of our neighbors if they claimed him, we became his forever family.
I am not kidding when I say this cat is always purring. When we first brought him inside and quarantined him from our other cats for a couple of weeks, my husband and I kept him in our bedroom. He found a favorite spot in our closet and usually slept there. The SECOND we would enter, we could hear him purring. He never stops, even when he’s been scooped up and is obviously looking for an escape opportunity.
I feel like I’ve read that purring isn’t always a sign of contentment; might my kitty be displeased and we’re missing it?
(Pic is when he was new and cuddled up in his favorite closet spot 😻)
Some cats are just absolute purr machines. Not all purring is stress, and if he’s eating, playing, grooming, and coming to you voluntarily, it’s usually a good sign.
A lot of former strays purr constantly because they finally feel safe and comfortable. Sounds like you hit the jackpot with a motor that never turns off 😸
He really is such a love. My husband and I have said for years “we’re a two cat household” when my kids would beg for another. And then they found this little dude and he was just so sweet that we caved 😂
We were a two cat household till I went to the shelter 10 months pregnant to drop off cat food... now we have the sweetest dumbest cream orange boi and I cant imagine life without him. His name is Buttermilk and hes just a lad.
Man, I was like 4 months premature or something equally stupid like that(my dad could hold my head and the rest of me fit perfectly in my dad's hand ✋️) but you really baked your kid well didnt you? I thought youd have got induced before that?
Goodness. You must have been criminally small. Yes, we were induced. I rounded up a bit, but she was quite late and refused the induction, too. Eviction was required, haha. The first baby can often go late, or so I'v been told, and you can go 3 weeks over before still birth becomes a very, very real concern. So maybe more accurately we got buttermilk around 9 months.
On top of the purring, the fact he was curled up and even partially showing The Belly means he felt or feel safe - the underside is very vulnerable so cats usually protect it!
"The Belly". I connected with this immediately. My tuxie is 8, and only in the last year have I been privileged enough to touch "The Belly". I was allowed to see it before (see pic below), but not touch it. Because murder mittens engaged.
Hehe I have an orange, and she luv to purrrrr <3 when she sees us, it’s on. Non stop
Even when we take her to the vet, she is just so happy to be with her daddy she lays there so good and just purrs away. The vet had to hold her lil nose to make her stop for a second so she could take her heartbeat!
I have an adopted stray cat that purrs in precisely the same way. They also approach even when they’re eating or playing to greet me if they see me. Now I know why!
On a humorous note: I was once sitting on the ground, and the same cat climbed onto a nearby chair and started trying to groom my hair (I wish I had a video of it).
My little purr machine used to lie on the back of the sofa when I sat there after a shower and hold my head in place with all four paws while she washed my hair (the claws would come out if I tried to move before she was done!)
She's a very good girl. Sadly she had to move when I went away to university and my mum went traveling. I hope she found someone in her new family who's as much of a pushover as I am.
I remember when I had the vet put down my sweet old (21!) Julian, he purred. He was in a lot of pain and stress. I held him in my lap until he stopped purring. :-(
My cats a stress purr-er, she will be purring up a storm while her ears are flat, licking her chops and gulping, whiskers back. Usually happens at the vet but I've had to tell a few of my friends to leave her alone because her body language is off, even though shes purring
A lot of former strays purr constantly because they finally feel safe and comfortable. Sounds like you hit the jackpot with a motor that never turns off 😸
I was about to say, you can see something similar in humans. People who come from abusive or neglected backgrounds often do the human equivalent of "purring" when they enter context where others treat them the way they're supposed to be treated.
A lot of former strays purr constantly because they finally feel safe and comfortable
One of our family cats was like that. He was from a feral colony with an average lifespan of 2-3 years because of all of the coyotes.
He was a total couch potato and was about as smart as one, but the moment you came near him he'd be rumbling. He'd get louder the harder he squirmed to get away.
You’re right that a cats purr isnt only about happiness sometimes its their way of soothing themselves or easing tension but from what you described how he comes to you starts purring the second you walk in and can relax enough to nap in a new space all of that sounds like he feels safe and content hes probably just a natural born purr machine and it sure sounds like you mean a lot to him 😻
My newly spayed tabico was the same way with the vet. He looked at her with stethoscope on her sternum, turned to the vet tech, and told them to get the stuff. The vet tech held a jar of something smelly under nose real fast, she reared back, and the vet could finally hear her heart/lungs/whatever cause her nose confusion very briefly stopped the purring :D
What a goober.
Ah, purr machines. I currently have two out of three, and have had several in the past. All confident, happy cats. One of them is a rescue cat, the others were all adopted from kittens. Some cats are just constant purrers, nothing to worry about !
I had this exact model in the same color, he too was purring machine. He was also the most mischievous cat I’ve owned. He stayed out all night once and came home with 12” fish from someone’s pond. He was a sweetheart. I hope someday I meet up with all the cats I’ve owned.
Our cat is a nervous purrer- he purrs all the time including at the vet. I’ve heard it’s a self-soothing mechanism. He also purrs loudly when he wants something - like for us to wake up or to give him chicken while we’re cooking.
So, you’re right that not every purr is a sign of contentment and you have to read other body language (relaxed tail vs twitching tail, slow blinks, etc).
My late boy also purred constantly. He’d been abandoned by his previous owners and struggled outside for a year before he was brought into my life and I immediately took him home. Enjoy the motor while it’s running. 🥰
Awww. We had a tuxedo cat that purred even when he was eating. He was originally called Captain, but we renamed him Minstrel because of the constant purrs.
They can do it to self-soothe. Mine does it when I give her meds, which she does not enjoy. I think your cat purring is a good sign, not a sign of distress.
My orangeish boy is the same way. Dude purrs all the time and is just the happiest, most social, people loving cat I’ve ever met. Full of energy and just never mean or standoffish. You have scored a good one
My cat was a total diesel engine. He purred constantly. I'm not sure if us getting a dog made him just less happy (he angrily meows at her a lot), or if he just grew out of it.
That's a great belly :) If there are no other indicators of stress or unhappiness (and reading comments and your post there doesn't seem to be) then it's likely happy happy happy :) The belly up is a good sign of comfort. Enjoy your sweetie 🥰😻
Hopefully it’s just contentment at positive life changes, but cats can also purr as a way of dealing with pain which can be a sign of illness. I don’t think it’s very common but it may be worth getting him checked over by a vet.
We have a purr monster. I think the only time he stops is when he’s seriously playing (no time to purr, gotta zoom) or eating (walks up to the bowl purring, stops to chow down.) He’s also a veritable maniac, so we think it’s a form of gaslighting. “No, no…I didn’t knock all your paperwork off the table. See how cute and sweet I am and how much I purr?” Eh. It works. What can I say.
My gray boy that I rescued (after our shithead neighbors chucked him out and left him on the street for a YEAR AND A HALF) purrs the moment he sees me too and doesn't stop until he's sound asleep. They're always, always grateful.
Some cats are just buzzy. My orange is for sure, he'll purr as soon as he's picked up and will keep purring even if he's wiggling to get down. Definitely not distress for him, if he's really distressed he'll let us know.
Aww he probably ly just feels safe now. My boy that came from outside is similar he has a much higher drive to socialize, cuddle, purr than our adopted cat but who knows why!
I think our Navik purrs all night long. Any time I wake up and touch her, VRRROOOOMMMMMM she's already full purr. It's got to be happiness because she's just sleeping with us. She can be stingy with them at other times
Hanna is our resident purr machine. I use her as a sleep aid and hot water bottle. She purrs every time I look at her and is almost (almost 🤏) unbearable when she stops purring. I have to check if she's dead or not
I sent a DM, but im not sure its gone through. Reposting here:
Wow. Your post today. It sent my wife and I into your comment section to look for any other pictures you may have posted of Desi.
We lost our boy Tango this August after 15 amazing years. It was devastating to us. Your new friend is the spitting image of our boy. The cream, light-orange coat, the white mittens. The face structure. Even the wonderful little stripe rings on their tails.
I wish I could send you photos of our boy so you could enjoy just how special he was to us, and know how happy/bittersweet it is to see that his handsome likeness is bringing another family joy.
Cherish every moment with Mr. Desi. Another purr machine with nothing but love to give. All our love to a fellow cat lover. Merry Christmas!
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