Can Big Cats Actually Purr?

[Judi Lynn]

CARLY CASSELLA 6 JAN 2019

It's a common question that experts say they get all the time: can big cats purr like household cats?

If only there was a simple response. Even though scientists have been debating the answer for well over a century, today the situation is far from clear.

From what we know so far, the answer centres around a bone in the cat's throat called the hyoid, which supports the larynx and tongue.

In small cats - like domestic cats, bobcats, lynxes, cheetahs and cougars - this bone is completely ossified and rigid. When the larynx vibrates, it can make the hyoid bone resonate, generating a low-frequency rumble that we call purring. Remarkably, this noise persists even when the cat breathes in and out.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/these-are-the-largest-cats-known-to-purr

[FirstLight]

1. I know they say tigers don't

But at my local zoo once I swear I heard one...

He/she was totally purring and nuzzling the fence, could feel the rumble in my own tummy... it was magical

[akraven]

2. Not in this precise location, but fairly close we had a neighborlynx.

You could hear him/her (wild, so couldn't check) through closed windows of the Jeep with music on!

[pansypoo53219]

3. cheetahs purr. had an encounter at an art fair w/ a cheetah handler. also did treadmills.