What Makes Cats Purr? Scientists May Have Found the Gene Behind It
A new study from Kyoto University suggests that purring in cats might be partly genetic—and specifically linked to a gene called the androgen receptor gene.
Why Study Purring?
Purring is one of the most unique and comforting behaviors in domestic cats, but scientists still don’t fully understand why cats do it. Some think it’s for communication, self-soothing, or even healing. This study aimed to dig deeper into the biology behind the behavior.
What Did the Researchers Do?
They studied 280 house cats, all mixed-breeds and spayed or neutered.
Cat owners helped out by reporting their pets' behavior, including how often they purred or meowed.
The team also collected DNA samples from each cat and looked specifically at the androgen receptor gene (a gene involved in hormone response).
What Did They Find?
Cats with the short version of the androgen receptor gene:
Purred more (based on owner ratings).
Male cats with this gene also meowed more toward humans.
Female cats with this version showed more aggression toward strangers.
In contrast, cats with the long version of the gene:
Were generally quieter and possibly less vocal.
These long versions were more common in purebred cats, which may be raised in more controlled environments and less dependent on vocalizing to humans.
When comparing domestic cats to wild relatives like leopard cats and fishing cats, the wild species only had the short version of the gene. This suggests the long version might have developed through domestication and breeding.
Why Does This Matter?
This study shows that cat behavior, like purring or vocalizing, may be partly inherited.
Understanding this could help improve animal welfare by allowing better predictions of behavior based on a cat’s genetics.
It could also explain why some rescue cats meow more—they may carry the short gene version, possibly tied to their more social, survival-based behavior as former strays.
Big Picture
This is one of the first studies to connect cat behavior to a specific gene, and the researchers hope to continue exploring how genetics influence communication and personality—not just in house cats, but across all wild cat species.
