Can a cat's purr heal broken bones

Question

This article claims the frequency of a cat's purr has the ability to heal broken bones in humans.

Comments

Next time I'm going to replace my casts and pain killers with a cat's purr.

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Wow this is so interesting thank you!

Answer 1

This claim seems to be an assumption. A paper presented by Elizabeth von Muggenthaler at a conference of the Acoustical Society of America stated that cats purr at a frequency between 50 and 150 hertz. This is the same frequency that is said to speed healing time. 

This is simply a possibly explanation for why a cat's purr might be able to heal human bones. Other studies have shown that vibrations at the same level as a cat's purr has been able to heal rabbit bones. 

There is no concrete evidence on whether a cat's purr is actually able to heal human bones. The claim is exaggerated. 

https://be.chewy.com/pet-parenting-pet-lovers-does-a-cats-purr-have-healing-powers/

https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/110/5_Supplement/2666/550913/The-felid-purr-A-healing-mechanism

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2762251/

Comments

Hi,
I think your factcheck is very interesting. You answered the question with facts and debunked the claim with proof.

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Nice job providing several solid sources to back up your claim. That's what made your fact-check stand out. Good work!

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While the claim is really cute in theory, I really appreciated your objective response backed with sources!

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Really appreciated the multiple sources! Nice debunk of a misleading "fact"

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I love how interesting your claim was!

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I believe that your comment shows how the article's title is quite misleading in its title as it portrays that humans do indeed get healed from a cat's purr rather than the possibility that it might help with the healing of a person. Key word being might which makes your claim easy to understand and agree with.

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I like how you begin your answer with saying that this statement is an assumption rather than a fact. However, one thing that I think could make your answer stronger is to cite where you used information from the sources because it would be easier for viewers to see where you got that exact information from.

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Great job adding multiple sources and explaining each one thoroughly. I liked how you added quotes from both sources as well. There were no opinions just facts given from the source. Good job!

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I appreciated the fact that this fact-check provided multiple sources as to debunk the "fact." It provided much needed clarification!

Answer 2

The article's claim is an exaggerated or misleading statement.

Although the article says that a cat's purrs can heal bones and reduce stress, this has not been proven in scientific studies. Some studies have shown that the vibrations from a cat's purr might have these effects, but more research is needed to confirm this.

We need to keep in mind and distinguish between well-established scientific evidence and anecdotal observations. The extent of a cat's healing powers is still a subject of ongoing research and debate.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180724-the-complicated-truth-about-a-cats-purr

https://futurism.com/science-behind-record-setting-cat-purr

Comments

Good job fact-checking, I like that you established anecdotal observations as a possible source of misinformation.

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Good job fact-checking. It was really nice to see great observations from great sources.

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It's great that you are able to tell the difference between observations and science. I also think it's good you realized how more research needs to be done as well as using multiple sources.

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I completely agree! So glad you are spreading the truth about the difference between science and anecdotes!

Answer 3

I believe that this statement is exaggerated. There are people who have stated that a cat's purr can heal bones, but there is no factual data on this. Ryotho.com states, "the healing power of cats is believed to help with infections, swelling and pain, muscles growth and repair, tendon repair and joint mobility." The key word here is "believed." There is no proof that this is true, but it is believed to be true. There could be some truth in this information, but it is exaggerated to make it more eye-catching.

https://ryortho.com/breaking/is-there-healing-power-in-a-cats-purr/

Comments

I really like how you stated there is no factual data. It is important to remember that if there is no real data it does not necessarily mean it is true.

Answer 4

This claim is exaggerated 

A cat's purr is not a verified cure for broken bones whatsoever. However, a purr is believed to have positive effects on people. According to petkeen.com, purrs are similar to vibration therapy which enhances physical health. A cat's sound frequency is speculated to heal joint and bone problems, heal infections, offer pain relief, reduce swelling, to name a few. These claims are all not 100% scientifically backed up as they are all based off personal experiences. 

https://petkeen.com/do-cat-purrs-have-healing-powers/ 

https://pethelpful.com/cats/The-Healing-Power-of-Cat-Purrs 

 

Comments

It's cute that cats' purrs can have a positive effect on people's health! I appreciate the callout of anecdotal evidence.

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I like how you state that the claim is exaggerated rather than misleading. It is quite interesting how sound frequency is related to vibration therapy, as I have gone through that process myself.

Answer 5

The frequency of a cats' purr (25-50 Hz) has been studied and has connections to helping with "muscle, tendon, ligament injuries, joint injury, wound healing, reduction of infection and swelling, pain relief, and relief of chronic pulmonary disease," according to Elizabeth von Muggenthaler, a research scientist and bio-acoustic specialist. However, there is no definitive answer on whether or not a cats' purr can heal broken bones. 

Thus, this statement is neither true or false, but exaggerated. 

https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/10/21/cats-and-their-magic-power/

Comments

The only thing is that this source is a Penn State blog, not a journal or report. But, I think it's good you snipped the part that references the research scientist and acknowledge that there is really no solid evidence.

Answer 6

This claim is largely speculative, despite some studies indicating potential bone repair when exposed to 30 Hz of vibration per second, as mentioned in the article from Inspire the Mind (https://www.inspirethemind.org/post/behind-cats-purrs-and-their-healing-power-sharing-the-benefits#:~:text=The%20frequency%20of%20cat%20purring%20has%20been%20shown%20to%20fall,tendon%20repair%2C%20and%20wound%20healing). However, it's important to note that there is still no conclusive evidence supporting the idea that cat purring can heal broken bones in humans. Further research is needed to establish a definitive connection between cat purring and its potential healing effects on human bones.

Answer 7

I believe that this claim is very misleading. In a few articles I have read, it states that cats are natural healers, but it is not as simple as a purr will heal bones. According to izumitherapy.com a cat's purr can boost a feeling of contentment which can boost the immune system. This claim is inaccurate because it does not give all the details.

https://izumitherapy.com/purrfect-counselors-cats-can-heal-broken-bones-broken-hearts/

Comments

I did also think it was misleading before researching and it turns out that cat purring may actually have some healing aspects for humans.

Answer 8

It looks like this information is exaggerated like many of the other answers posted I had found Elizabeth von Muggenthaler's study on felines purring when they are frightened or hurt. And the frequencies they purr at 25 - 150 Hrz have been known to help aid in healing bone fractures. I had worked for a company that used a machine with a power plate to help patients with osteoporosis (weak/not very dense bones) and other bone health issues and over the course of a year their bone health improved with a combination of frequency therapy and other exercises.

The frequencies may aid the cats' bone health, but there is not enough information or studies to prove that a cat's purr can heal a broken bone.

Sources:

von Muggenthaler's study: https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/110/5_Supplement/2666/550913/The-felid-purr-A-healing-mechanism

bioDensity: xhttps://www.chicagobiodensity.com/results

Answer 9

The purr has "healing power", however, you can't replace pain killer and casts with a cat's purr. According to recent "research on frequencies that promote bone growth, fracture healing, pain relief, and relief of breathlessness and inflammation," frequencies between 20 and 150 Hertz are healing frequencies. Except for the cheetah, all cat species have purr frequencies ranging from 20 to 150 Hertz." The cheetah purrs at frequencies of 25, 50, 100, 125, and 150 Hertz. "This exactly corresponds with the best healing frequencies."

Lyons observes that a cat's purring reduces tension – caressing a purring cat has a relaxing effect. It alleviates the symptoms of dyspnoea (breathing trouble) in both cats and people. It also decreases blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. Cat owners are 40% less likely to suffer a heart attack.

Cat purrs are said to assist with infections, swelling, and discomfort, muscle development and repair, tendon repair, and joint mobility.

https://ryortho.com/breaking/is-there-healing-power-in-a-cats-purr/

Answer 10

According to an article written by inspire the mind, it says, "The frequency of cat purring has been shown to fall between 25 and 140 Hz. The same frequency has been shown to aid in the healing of broken bones, joint and tendon repair, and wound healing."  While there is no correlation and actual scientific evidence, this could be misleading and misinterpreted by many people. Therefore while this might be true, it could be misleading and therefore isn't necessarily accurate. 

Comments

Don't forget to add a hyperlink to each source you've used in your fact-check. I don't see one for "Inspire the Mind." Thanks!