The Cat That Wouldn't Purr

by Kate
(London)

Sounds like the beginning of a children's story doesn't it? Well in our home it's a sad reality.

As many of you know we have two cats. Shelley and Byron who are brothers from the same litter. So you would think they would share some same characteristics. Things couldn't be further from the true, Shelley is a fat cat, who loves cuddles and purrs if you just look at him. Byron on the other hand is a whole different story.

Byron is a thin cat, who is very fussy about what he eats and when. He is very independent and only comes to see us when he wants too. He wriggles like mad if you pick him up and the only time he will sit on your lap is in the depths of winter when it's really cold. Having said that he is a lovely cat, with a face you could kiss all day.

Sadly another Byron trait is that he just doesn't purr that much and when he does it is so quiet and short lived. So as you can imagine it has become a real challenge for us to see what we can do to make him purr.

Well today I think I have found an answer. He seems to really like his belly being stroked. To my surprise as I was stroking him, he rolled onto his back and as I stroked his tummy, loud rumbling purrs began to come from his lordship. Not only that but he kept purring for a few minutes after I stopped (this never happens).

So all I can say is that if you have a cat who doesn't purr, don't give up. You may just not have found the thing that gets his engine going. :)

Question
What makes your cat purr? I'd love to know, you may give some more ideas to try on Byron.

---