Do Lions and Tigers and All the Big Cats Purr as Domestic Cats do?

I Thought They did, but then I Thought I might have made it up in My Head! Ha!

Do Lions and Tigers and All the Big Cats Purr as Domestic Cats do?
Just a little searching reveals the real answer. I'm guessing that the National Wildlife Federation is a little more up on this stuff than anyone as shown here...





Only the smaller cats - not just house cats, but also bobcats, ocelots, lynxes and others - have what it takes to purr. The relevant apparatus is a tightly connected linkage of delicate bones running from the back of the feline tongue up to the base of the skull. When in a purring frame of mind, a cat vibrates its larynx, which in turn sets the twiglike hyoid bones to resonating. No one is sure why cats evolved this ability, but one possibility is that a mother's purr helps camouflage the mewling of her vulnerable nursing kittens, a sound that might otherwise alert and attract predators. All purring cats can make the distinctive sound continuously, both breathing in and breathing out.





In big cats - lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars - a length of tough cartilage runs up the hyoid bones to the skull. This feature prevents purring but also gives the larynx enough flexibility to produce a full-throated roar - 114 decibels' worth in the case of one lion tested. The sound can be loud enough to be near a human's pain threshold. Purring ability, rather than size or behavior, is one of two chief distinctions between the two main genera of cat, Felis and Panthera. (The other difference is that the eyes of the former have pupils that narrow to vertical slits.) These genera are sometimes called "the purring cats" and "the roaring cats," respectively, although among the latter only the lion roars habitually. Other large cats are more apt to snarl, yowl, hiss, spit, grunt or cough.
Reply:The big cats lions, tigers, leopards and Jaguars are member of a group of cats that roar and don't purr. I believe those big cats are member of the genus panthera.
Reply:I had a freind who had cats for the movies in Ontario (just north of Toronto)


Mountain Lions purr and like laying on your legs.
Reply:not all domestic cats purr.
Reply:yes but really heavy duty


a tiger purring sounds mechanical,like an engine





Bravo is wrong ,i worked with lions and Tigers and the tigers purr is fantastic,so is the jaguar,
Reply:apparently lions and tigers 'purr', but only on exhalation. Try inhaling purring..it's extremely difficult! I think the purring has to do with easing problems due to discomfort in digesting large bolted meals, typical of predator behaviour. It would also act as an internal all over massage system to ease the discomfort of disease or injury. Also in large cats prone to resting up after consuming a large kill, the vibration may help to preserve muscle tone. Finally the repetitive hypnotic purr may act as an aid to sleep or relaxation, which many cats are known to enjoy!
Reply:Right, let's get this cleared up. Bravozulu is correct in that only the big cats roar. There are just six: the lion, tiger, jaguar, puma (cougar, or mountain lion), leopard and snow leopard. They roar by blasting air past their large epiglottis, but they can only do this on exhalation. This is how biologists define a large cat, genus panthera.





All other cats including the cheetah can vibrate the epiglottis while inhaling as well as exhaling; this is purring.
Reply:i don't know if they all do but i know cheetahs purr! a cheetah in a zoo was being stroked by a keeper and it purred! i couldn't believe it!
Reply:They do purr hunny, you're not going mad .......promise.


They don't have the same purr as a domestic kitty as they are larger, have bigger lungs, have stronger vocal chords etc etc...but yes,they do purr! prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Reply:Yes, they can purr, but only when they exhale. So whilst domestic cats can purr for hours, big cats can only do it in short bursts.
Reply:According to what I could read, all the cat-like purrs but for wide animals, it's just a communication which exists only between the mother and its children. It would be the translation of an intense emotion (in good: affection, in evil: extreme stress or fear). The mechanisms are not known, people thought that it was due to the larynx owing to the fact that the paralysed body does not allow any more purring but it's shown that operated, a cat can purr. Currently, the scientists think that the diaphragm is implied (the lion can purr only with the expiry). Other animals such as the hyena, the mongoose, the chive and the European brown bear purr. Another strange thing is the frequency band used for this language, very sand-gravel mixes which are used by the type-setters to make an emotion pass. Purring would have curative vertues.
Reply:yes they do purr