There are so many things about my cats that are delightful and bring me so much joy. I've already blogged about a few of them (Fela being a cheese fiend and having a baby purr), and here is yet another adorable thing Fela does on a very regular basis, mostly with my husband, but occasionally with me. It happened yesterday to me because I was wearing a cardigan. It happens with my husband the most because he is pretty much always wearing a zip-up hoodie. These pieces of apparel allow Fela to tuck his body into the opening of the sweater like a baby kangaroo tucking itself into its mother's pouch. By the way, I did confirm that this is an actual scientific fact. After birth, joeys (baby kangaroos) travel, unassisted, through their mom’s thick fur to the comfort and safety of the pouch.
So yesterday, I'm sitting at my desk, blogging away, when Fela jumps up on my lap. Then he starts to push his little head into my sweater, until his whole body is completely and tightly tucked in. Then he does this adorable happily contented purr. This particular purr is not the baby purr declaring that he needs something. It is a purr of delight. I am sure he feels warm and safe and comfy. He is just as delighted as I am.
Apparently, this purr might be healing, for both him and me. One hypothesis is that purring can be physically rejuvenating – a way for the cat to ‘heal’ itself after stress. The frequency of the vibrations of the purring, which range from 20Hz up to 150Hz, is thought to promote bone growth and tissue healing. This may explain why cats purr while they are falling asleep. The purr has been developed as a low-energy way to keep their bones and tissues in good condition while they rest.
Purring is also healing for humans; it has been shown as a form of stress relief and can even cut the risk of stroke or heart disease by as much one-third. Gary Weitzman, a veterinarian and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society, says the purring frequency corresponds "with established healing frequencies in therapeutic medicine for humans. Bone responds to 25-50Hz and skin and soft tissues to around 100Hz. The physiological benefits aside, we’ve always responded to purring’s psychological effects. It calms us and pleases us, like watching waves against a beach. We respond to a cat’s purr as a calming stimulus and may have even genetically selected cats with more propensity to purr. I think the purr has a big benefit for humans."
I wholeheartedly agree with this analysis. When I'm feeling crummy, I always get a boost from my cats. And it always seems like they know when I need them the most. When I am sick or depressed, they immediately jump up in my lap, cuddle up to me and purr. All of my cats throughout my life have been instrumental to my physical and emotional healing. They have never been "just animals" to me. The more I interact with and live with animals, the more humanity gets pushed off the pedestal of being above, greater than, or better than animals. We are all animals, and much more equal than I was originally taught to believe. In fact, animals are so much more integral to the human race than most people realize. I delight in the animal kingdom of which we are all a part of, and I delight in my little baby kangaroo, delightfully purring away in my lap.
With delight,
♥Jamie
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