Could a cat’s purr help a person to heal?

There’s an old veterinary adage that says, “if you put a cat and bunch of broken bones in the same room, the bones will heal”. Well, the 8th August marks International Cat Day, so we did some research to find out about the potential healing power of a cats purr.

As crazy as it might sound to some, there’s a lot of stories to suggest that a cat’s purr, which is within a frequency of 20-140 Hertz, can have therapeutic effects on nearby humans. This frequency range corresponds with those used during vibrational therapy, so maybe the concept isn’t as far fetched as you might think. Pet therapy is a relatively new concept that’s gaining momentum with scientific research suggesting that those with pets often live longer than those without. But what exactly are the benefits associated with a cat’s purr?

Lowers stress

It’s not too hard to understand how the soothing rhythm combined with stroking a cat can help to lower stress. Stress is related to a whole lot of other negative health effects so remaining calm and keeping stress free may well contribute to a person healing faster and stronger.

Helps to heal infections and swelling

It’s been theorised that a cat’s purring can aid in speeding up recovery from infection and swelling, which could be especially helpful post operation. It’s unclear on how exactly a cat purring can help this, but some people swear by it!

Lowers blood pressure

Again, we believe this may be linked to decreased stress, but many believe that a cats purr can help to lower blood pressure. Lower blood pressure comes with a lot of health benefits and could certainly help a person to recover quicker than one with high blood pressure.

Healing of bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments

The theory here is that, much like vibrational therapy, when exposed to a certain frequency of vibration bones and muscles become stronger and reinforce themselves by adding more muscle.

So, can a cat’s purr actually help a person to heal? Or is it a myth? It’s certainly a possibility, although we wouldn’t like to state categorically one way or the other. However, if you’re already a cat lover with no allergies, surely it can’t hurt to try!