Cat's purr has been recorded on a smartphone at 75 decibels with peaks reaching an earsplitting 98dB . By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 04:43 EST, 10 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:25 EST, 3 April 2013 . Meet Merlin the moggie who is hoping to be crowned the loudest purring cat in the world. At peaks of 98 decibels, the black and white feline is as loud as the London Underground and a hand drill. And the 12-year-old rescue cat loves the sound of his own purr. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Purrfect pitch: Merlin, the loudest purring cat in the world, with his owner Tracy Westwood from Devon . He purrs when he wakes up. He purrs when he's hungry. He even purrs when he plays with his owner's Yorkshire terriers Bobbie and Muppet. But what he especially likes is being fussed over. Music concert: 140dB . Jet taking off: 140dB . Drum kit: 115dB . Pneumatic drill: 110dB . Night club: 110dB . 250cc motorbike:  95dB . Tube train: 85dB . Large office: 70dB . Owner Tracy Westwood, a tarot card reader and candle magic practitioner, said: 'Because of what I do people say I have bewitched it. 'It's a witch's cat. 'But that's just what Merlin does. He purrs really loudly.' The reason why cats purr remains a mystery. Domestic cats share the habit with cheetahs, pumas and tigers. They do it not only when contented, but often when they are sick or nervous, too — emitting a noise that comes from air flowing over their vibrating vocal chords. Mrs Westwood, from Torquay, Devon, rescued Merlin when he was just a kitten from an animal rescue centre in Kingskerswell. She said: 'It has always purred very loudly. I guess I'm used to it now. 'But when I'm on the phone I often have people asking me what on earth is the noise in the background. It's just Merlin the cat.' Mrs Westwood, 47, mother of Lucy, 28, and Alice, 19, knew Merlin was a contender for being the loudest cat in the world when she read about Smokey, the current record holder, in the Guinness Book of Records, which was officially recognised as the loudest purring domestic cat on record in 2011. Deafening: Merlin is tipped to be crowned the world's loudest domestic cat by Guinness Book of Records . Record: Merlin hopes to be crowned loudest cat after his purr was recorded at 98 decibels (pictured) Smokey is said to purr at 67.67dB which is about as loud as a classroom full of students engaged in a conversation. Owners Ruth and Mark Adams, from Northampton, said the 12-year-old British Shorthair can even drown out TV and radio shows and phone conversations with her ‘cooing purr’. Most cats produce sounds around 25 decibels. But Mrs Westwood said: 'We've measured Merlin at peaks of 100dB. 'We know he is much louder than that.' Merlin has been recorded on a decibel app on a smartphone at 75dB on average with peaks reaching an earsplitting 95dB and 98dB. Charts show that noise levels of 90 to 95dB can result in hearing loss after prolonged exposure. One chart puts the London Underground at 95dB but Merlin was recorded purring at 98dB which is as loud as a hand drill. Mrs . Westwood, who is hoping to have Merlin officially validated as the . loudest cat around, said: 'My oldest dog is completely deaf. 'Maybe Merlin's purred him to deaf.' While Merlin and Smokey’s purring may cause a right racket, the sound they make is a whisper compared with some of the real loudmouths of the animal kingdom. In fact, they can both be beaten by a saltwater shrimp, just 4cm long, which uses its vocal power to stun prey and the blue whale which reaches can reach an astonishing 188 decibels. Noisy: Merlin has been recorded as being louder than a hand drill (left) and Tube train (right) Loud mouth: Smokey is the current record holder after being crowned loudest purring domestic cat in 2011 . HEAR MERLIN'S DEAFENING PURR .
Cat's purr has been recorded on a smartphone at 75 decibels with peaks reaching an earsplitting 98dB .
Charts show noise levels of 90 to 95 decibels can result in hearing loss .
Cat's purr has been recorded on a smartphone at 75 decibels with peaks reaching an earsplitting 98dB . By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 04:43 EST, 10 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:25 EST, 3 April 2013 . Meet Merlin the moggie who is hoping to be crowned the loudest purring cat in the world. At peaks of 98 decibels, the black and white feline is as loud as the London Underground and a hand drill. And the 12-year-old rescue cat loves the sound of his own purr. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Purrfect pitch: Merlin, the loudest purring cat in the world, with his owner Tracy Westwood from Devon . He purrs when he wakes up. He purrs when he's hungry. He even purrs when he plays with his owner's Yorkshire terriers Bobbie and Muppet. But what he especially likes is being fussed over. Music concert: 140dB . Jet taking off: 140dB . Drum kit: 115dB . Pneumatic drill: 110dB . Night club: 110dB . 250cc motorbike:  95dB . Tube train: 85dB . Large office: 70dB . Owner Tracy Westwood, a tarot card reader and candle magic practitioner, said: 'Because of what I do people say I have bewitched it. 'It's a witch's cat. 'But that's just what Merlin does. He purrs really loudly.' The reason why cats purr remains a mystery. Domestic cats share the habit with cheetahs, pumas and tigers. They do it not only when contented, but often when they are sick or nervous, too — emitting a noise that comes from air flowing over their vibrating vocal chords. Mrs Westwood, from Torquay, Devon, rescued Merlin when he was just a kitten from an animal rescue centre in Kingskerswell. She said: 'It has always purred very loudly. I guess I'm used to it now. 'But when I'm on the phone I often have people asking me what on earth is the noise in the background. It's just Merlin the cat.' Mrs Westwood, 47, mother of Lucy, 28, and Alice, 19, knew Merlin was a contender for being the loudest cat in the world when she read about Smokey, the current record holder, in the Guinness Book of Records, which was officially recognised as the loudest purring domestic cat on record in 2011. Deafening: Merlin is tipped to be crowned the world's loudest domestic cat by Guinness Book of Records . Record: Merlin hopes to be crowned loudest cat after his purr was recorded at 98 decibels (pictured) Smokey is said to purr at 67.67dB which is about as loud as a classroom full of students engaged in a conversation. Owners Ruth and Mark Adams, from Northampton, said the 12-year-old British Shorthair can even drown out TV and radio shows and phone conversations with her ‘cooing purr’. Most cats produce sounds around 25 decibels. But Mrs Westwood said: 'We've measured Merlin at peaks of 100dB. 'We know he is much louder than that.' Merlin has been recorded on a decibel app on a smartphone at 75dB on average with peaks reaching an earsplitting 95dB and 98dB. Charts show that noise levels of 90 to 95dB can result in hearing loss after prolonged exposure. One chart puts the London Underground at 95dB but Merlin was recorded purring at 98dB which is as loud as a hand drill. Mrs . Westwood, who is hoping to have Merlin officially validated as the . loudest cat around, said: 'My oldest dog is completely deaf. 'Maybe Merlin's purred him to deaf.' While Merlin and Smokey’s purring may cause a right racket, the sound they make is a whisper compared with some of the real loudmouths of the animal kingdom. In fact, they can both be beaten by a saltwater shrimp, just 4cm long, which uses its vocal power to stun prey and the blue whale which reaches can reach an astonishing 188 decibels. Noisy: Merlin has been recorded as being louder than a hand drill (left) and Tube train (right) Loud mouth: Smokey is the current record holder after being crowned loudest purring domestic cat in 2011 . HEAR MERLIN'S DEAFENING PURR .
Cat's purr has been recorded on a smartphone at 75 decibels with peaks reaching an earsplitting 98dB noise levels of 90 to 95dB can result in hearing