The oddest thoughts pop into my skull at the oddest moments.

Here it is, very late Friday/Early Saturday (a bit after midnight, IOW), and a question posed itself: Which of the big cats can or cannot purr?

Cougars certainly can, that much I know. I've also found out, through direct experience, that caracals (desert lynxes) can purr, and very strongly too!

I'm not certain if tigers can, and I'm pretty sure that cheetahs cannot. Can lions? How about leopards?

Thoughts welcome. For now, I'm going to bed. 'Night, all.

You're right, cougars definitely can purr.  Cheetahs can also purr, I'm pretty sure, as can every cat smaller than a cheetah (lynx, bobcats, caracals, ocelots, etc.).  The rest of the "big cats", however, don't have the correct mechanism (hyoid bone) to do so.  That's why some people don't classify the cougar an cheetah as big cats, even though the cougar is often bigger than the leopard, for instance.

Of course, this info all depends on what you want to call a "purr".  Tigers will chuff, which is a friendly greeting that can sort of resemble a purr.  It's not a continuous sound, though, and it's only done upon exhaling.  I believe the other big cats may be capable of chuffing, too, but I have only received them in person from tigers.  Regardless, I don't feel that this is a true purr.

Then again, I am by no means an expert on big cats.  Others who work with tigers, lions, etc. on a day-to-day basis may have a completely different idea than I do.  

I love listening to a tiger chuff, but it sure sounds a lot different than purring.  The first time I heard it, I thought the tiger was snorting at me in a friendly way

I've also heard a leopard make a noise that sounded like a friendly growl and almost like a purr.  I think it only came out on the exhale.

(I'm not an expert on big cats, and I don't work with them.  I'm just a fan who lives not too far from a big cat place.)

I purr, but only when eating.