Purr-fectly Deafened!
Smokey on the decibel scale.
You know the sound of a lawnmower on a summer afternoon? Or a vacuum cleaner around the house? The drone in the background, whirring through your head and drowning out the TV just at that romantic moment! Now imagine if your pet made that noise. Well, for Ruth Adams and her family, that's exactly what happens.
Smokey, their pet cat, is officially the possessor of the loudest purr on the planet, having reached a deafening 67.7dB and setting the Guinness World Record. She is louder than the average conversation and is capable of purrs topping 90dB when measured at a close distance.
She has been compared to a lawnmower, a vacuum cleaner and a hairdryer, and frequently drowns out telephone conversations.
Ruth Adams, Smokey's eighth owner in her 12 year life, described the reaction to her pet's purr: "When I'm on the phone, friends often ask what the loud noise is and they can't believe it is coming from a cat."
She added: "It's not just the volume of her purr which is unusual, she makes quite a unique sound as if she has a dove stuck in her throat."
Diana Johnson, of Northampton Cats Protection, expressed her astonishment. She said: "I have never heard anything like that purr in my life. It can drown out your conversation. I've never found a cat with a purr that is anywhere near as loud."
Since the start of this year, Smokey's purr has gone global, and she has been filmed by news stations all over the world. With the new Guinness World Records 2012 book having just gone on sale, as well as a semi-biographical account of Smokey's rise to stardom in the works, her fame is in the ascendence, with her purr even being available as a mobile phone ring tone.
The reason for Smokey's incredible purr is unclear, but it's obvious she enjoys her life in the spotlight - the only time she's quiet is when she's asleep!
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
