Meet the cat with the world's loudest purr
Merlin is purr-lin!
When Tracy Westwood learned that the current world record holder for the loudest purr clocked in at a mere 67 decibels, she knew she had a winner on her hands. Merlin, her 13 year-old cat who she adopted from a shelter as a kitten, has a remarkably loud purr.
According to an iPhone app that registers decibel levels, Merlin's purr peaks at 100 dB, which is louder than a jackhammer at 50 feet, and theoretically loud enough to cause hearing loss at humans in sustained close range.
Cats purr by using their vocal folds and larynx to vibrate their glottis, which causes the fluttering noise when they inhale and exhale, along with tones and other noises they may make during purring. Merlin is basically the cat equivalent of an opera singer trained to belt it out to the back row - all the time, from the couch.