What's that loud, droning noise?Is it a telephone?Or maybe a pigeon?

No, it's Smokey. This English cat might soon be named the world's loudest purrer after she made an official attempt at a world record.

Smokey's strident purr was recorded as being an ear-splitting 73 decibels. To put that in context, normal room atmosphere is a hushed 40 decibels, whereas a jet engine is a deafening 120 decibels.

Smokey's purr is roughly the same volume as a loud telephone ring and 16 times louder than a normal cat.

The 12-year-old was recorded by a sound expert in front of four witnesses. Smokey's owner, Ruth Adams, said that her cat was surprisingly timid for an animal that makes such a racket.

"Smokey is actually quite camera-shy so I was very conscious not to upset her during the record attempt, so we kept it all very calm and low-key."

Smokey may enjoy a calm atmosphere but she's certainly not as quiet as a mouse... or indeed any pet that doesn't says boo.

The evidence from Smokey's record attempt has now been submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records.

With any luck, Smokey will have delivered a record-breaking purr-formance