Constant purring. A sign of illness?

My 14 1/2 year old civie is purring constantly. i just noticed it today about 5 hours ago. this is not normal for her. she is acting pretty normal other than that. but i figure this means something is wrong. does anyone have any experience with this. it's not because she is happy, something is going on. thanks.

 

It can be a sign of pain. If it just started I might have her checked out. Hoping she is just happy. Um, one other speculation, you have other cats with issues right now right? Perhaps she is purring to comfort them. Purring is thought to aid in healing.

 

I have read too that it can be a way of them trying to make themselves feel better, it releases endorphins. I too, hope it's because she's feeling happy....

 

I do know that our civvie Furball, although he was a loud purrer all the time, purred a lot more, under unusual situations as he got sicker. I read that it was sort of like humming, and he was trying to calm himself down.
Dana

 

Cats birthing kittens purr like crazy, at least mine did, moreso than they did normally.
Shadoe purrs much more when she is feeling sick.