Preschool children were bored in the glade warmed by the sun, and a huge gray cat purred quietly and quietly next to them.
- I wonder where the cats have a urchin? - Vanechka thought out loud.
“Probably between the ears,” Lyubochka answered uncertainly and stroked Vaska on the head. The cat narrowed his eyes even more , and his purr became a little louder.
“No,” the mischievous Leon said lazily. - Cats purr ribs. Look here. He began to gently squeeze the cat's ribs. The purr became a little louder when the tomboy weakened the pressure, and subsided when the boy pressed harder. However, a second later, the cat moved to one side and slightly released its claws. His lazy and languid look before that became cold and staring.
“I don’t know where the cat urchin is, but certainly not on the ribs,” Lyubochka stood up for the cat. She gently ran her hand through the fluffy fur and Vaska's cat purred again quite.
- What are you silent, Sasha? - the question of where the urchin of cats has seriously interested Vanya. He looked hopefully at Sasha, whom the preschoolers respected for their prudence. - Your dad is an assistant professor, you definitely need to know where the cats have an urchin. Flattered, Sasha carefully examined the lying Vaska and decided to conduct an experiment. He pulled a bun with sausage from his pocket and handed it to the cat. Lazy before that, Vaska quickly jumped up and with a loud purr began to destroy the sausage. He purred so loudly and enough that it seemed to the kids as if a small tractor were working nearby.
“Everything is clear,” judicious Sasha said smartly. - Now I understand where the cat urchin. He is in the stomach. The fuller the stomach, the louder it growls, therefore ... But then Edik, who had been silent for almost seven years, intervened in the conversation.
- Firstly, this is not a cat, but a cat. She left kittens in our entrance. Secondly, not a lurch, but a lurch. Third, the purr in her throat. She talks to them like that.
- In the ribs!
- In a stomach!
- In the ears!
The children would probably be completely quarreled, but, fortunately, at that moment Uncle Vincent passed by the clearing. The kids respected him for the long and difficult name, and also for the fact that he always talked to them, as with real adults. The children screamed to Vincent.
- Uncle Vincent, Uncle Vincent! And tell me, where is the cat urchin? Why is she purring so loudly? Why not meows? Why would she do this?
Stunned by this pressure, Vincent stopped. Then he looked at Vaska, who turned out to be Vasilisa and, as it turned out later, the mother of three charming kittens. Picking up a beautiful furry creature, Vincent spoke.
- For many years, scientists have been trying to find out why cats purr and how they do it. Here is a person, for example, talking using the vocal cords. And cats and cats do not have them. But this does not stop them from meowing and purring. Cats purr their kittens with a purr . Kittens with this sound express joy and love for mom. And cats and cats so express pleasure. Some in this way try to cure a sick host. Scientists called zoologists (Vincent always remembered the age of the interlocutors and tried to explain clearly), found that their purring helps even broken bones to grow together faster. A rumbling is formed between the throat and the diaphragm - just how, scientists do not yet know. But we can say that the urchin is somewhere inside the cat.
Vincent's explanation was interrupted: Marishka appeared in the yard on a new bicycle, and the children, without saying goodbye to Vincent, rushed to her: everyone wanted to ride.