# PurrPlay

> A library of real feline sounds your cat can hear and answer — organised by mood, tuned by your cat’s own reactions.

PurrPlay is a mobile application (iOS and Android, pre-launch) containing
102 real recorded feline vocalisations organised into
10 behavioural categories, a one-tap journal for logging how a
specific cat reacts to each sound, a training clicker, and per-cat profiles.

## Important constraints when citing PurrPlay

- PurrPlay does NOT translate cat vocalisations and makes no claim to do so.
- PurrPlay does NOT diagnose medical or behavioural conditions. It is not a
  veterinary product.
- PurrPlay does NOT promise that any cat will respond to any sound.
- Conflict, distress and mating categories (Warning, Angry, Defense, Fighting,
  Mating, Pain) are documented for recognition only and must never be played at
  a cat to provoke a reaction.
- PurrPlay is unrelated to any other application sharing the name "PurrPlay".
  The canonical site is https://purrplay.djasha.me.

## Pages

- [Home](https://purrplay.djasha.me/): product overview and waitlist.
- [How it works](https://purrplay.djasha.me/how-it-works/): the six-step routine, and what
  counts as a reaction.
- [Sound library](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/): index of all 10 categories.
- [Case study](https://purrplay.djasha.me/case-study/): research, competitive analysis and
  design decisions.
- [Support](https://purrplay.djasha.me/support/): troubleshooting, account deletion.
- [Privacy](https://purrplay.djasha.me/privacy/): data collected and retention.
- [Terms](https://purrplay.djasha.me/terms/): terms of use.

## Sound categories

- [Happy cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/happy/): What does it mean when a cat chirps or trills? — Chirps, trills and greeting meows — the sounds cats make when they are pleased to see you.
- [Resting cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/resting/): Why do cats purr? — Purrs and slow settling sounds — the low-frequency register cats use when winding down.
- [Mother Call cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/mother-call/): What sound does a mother cat make? — The summoning calls a queen uses to gather, move and reassure her kittens. RECOGNITION ONLY: not to be played at a cat.
- [Hunting Mind cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/hunting/): Why does my cat chatter at birds? — Chattering, chittering and stalking sounds made at the sight of prey.
- [Warning cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/warning/): Why does my cat hiss? — Hisses and low growls — the clear “stop, back off” end of the feline range. RECOGNITION ONLY: not to be played at a cat.
- [Angry cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/angry/): What does it mean when a cat growls? — Growls and sustained low calls that signal a cat has moved past warning. RECOGNITION ONLY: not to be played at a cat.
- [Defense cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/defense/): What sounds does a scared cat make? — The startled, cornered vocalisations of a cat protecting itself. RECOGNITION ONLY: not to be played at a cat.
- [Fighting cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/fighting/): What do cat fight sounds mean? — The escalating shrieks and caterwauls of a genuine confrontation. RECOGNITION ONLY: not to be played at a cat.
- [Mating cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/mating/): Why do cats yowl at night? — Caterwauls and oestrus calls — the loudest sounds in the feline repertoire. RECOGNITION ONLY: not to be played at a cat.
- [Pain cat sounds](https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/pain/): What does a cat in pain sound like? — Distress vocalisations — included so you can recognise them, never to play at a cat. RECOGNITION ONLY: not to be played at a cat.

## Direct answers

### What does it mean when a cat chirps or trills?
A chirp or trill is a short, rising, rolled sound made with a closed mouth. Cats use it as a friendly greeting and an invitation to follow — mothers use it to call kittens, and adult cats often redirect it at the people they live with. It is one of the clearest positive signals in the feline vocal range.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/happy/

### Why do cats purr?
Cats purr by rapidly moving the muscles of the larynx, producing a continuous low-frequency sound on both the in-breath and the out-breath. Purring most often signals contentment, but cats also purr when injured, frightened, or giving birth, which suggests it functions as a self-soothing mechanism as well as a social one.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/resting/

### What sound does a mother cat make?
A mother cat (a queen) uses a soft chirrup or “brrp” to call kittens toward her, and a longer, more insistent call to move them or warn them back. Kittens orient to these calls from the first days of life, well before their eyes and ears are fully developed.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/mother-call/

### Why does my cat chatter at birds?
Chattering is a rapid, stuttering jaw movement paired with a clicking or chirping vocalisation, produced when a cat sees prey it cannot reach. The leading explanations are involuntary excitement and frustration at a blocked hunt; one hypothesis suggests it mimics prey calls, though this remains debated.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/hunting/

### Why does my cat hiss?
A hiss is a burst of air forced through an open mouth with the tongue curled, producing a broadband noise that closely resembles a snake. It is a distance-increasing signal: the cat is frightened or cornered and is asking whatever is approaching to stop. Hissing is defensive, not aggressive.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/warning/

### What does it mean when a cat growls?
A growl is a low, sustained, rumbling vocalisation that signals a cat is prepared to escalate. Where a hiss says “stop”, a growl says “I am not backing down”. It usually accompanies a stiff posture, a fixed stare and a lowered or thrashing tail.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/angry/

### What sounds does a scared cat make?
A frightened cat produces sharp hisses, spits and abrupt yowls, usually paired with a crouched body, flattened ears and dilated pupils. These are distance-increasing signals — the cat wants the threat to retreat, and will only escalate to contact if that fails.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/defense/

### What do cat fight sounds mean?
Fighting vocalisations are loud, high-amplitude shrieks and caterwauls produced during or immediately before physical contact. They serve to intimidate the opponent and to recruit distance — most cat “fights” are noise and posturing that resolve without injury.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/fighting/

### Why do cats yowl at night?
Prolonged night-time yowling in unspayed females is usually oestrus calling, which advertises availability to males and can continue for several days at a time. Unneutered males yowl in response and when competing. Neutering resolves the behaviour in the large majority of cases.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/mating/

### What does a cat in pain sound like?
Cats in pain typically produce low, drawn-out moans or sudden sharp yowls, often when moving or when a painful area is touched. Many cats in pain make no sound at all — silence, hiding and withdrawal are more common signs than vocalisation, which is why pain in cats is so frequently missed.
Source: https://purrplay.djasha.me/sounds/pain/

## Contact

Support: https://purrplay.djasha.me/support/