According to Pankratz, typical emotional reactions to “pspspsps” can range from fearful to inquisitive to anticipation of pleasure and even no response at all. To figure out whether your cat is responding in a positive or negative way to “pspspsps,” look to their body language. Have you ever noticed that when you make a strange noise or sound near a cat, they often perk up its ears and start looking around for the source? It’s almost as if they’re trying to figure out what the noise means. One theory is that the sound mimics the sound of a small animal (onomatopoeia), such as a mouse or a bird, which are a cat’s natural prey. Cats are naturally curious. They like to know what we’re doing at all times, and they’re usually not shy about their investigative tactics. We can’t bring home a bag of groceries without the cat sniffing every box of cereal. And they’re usually the first to notice when you bring in a new piece of furniture. When they hear a strange sound, their curious nature takes over.

The pspspspsps sound has a lot of reasons why it attracts cats. It piques their curiosity, may sound familiar as it’s similar to a purring sound, and it’s at a frequency that makes it very easy for them to hear,” Chyrle Bonk, a veterinarian at PetKeen, tells Inverse. As the user must have predicted, many people rushed to follow their advice. The results ranged from hilarious to adorable. Here is one user that tried to repeat this message to their cat. “My cat hissed at me and ran away after I told her what you said.” They may answer with a high-pitched meow of their own or rub on you while you speak it,” Bonk adds. There’s a good chance cats respond to the pspsps sound simply because they want to know what it is. There’s the chance it could be a prey animal, or it could be literally anything else. Even if your cat is used to you making that sound, they still feel the urge to confirm its origin. Cat’s pupils can be dilated when they have big emotions — arousal — both when fearful and when stimulated such as in anticipation of play,” Pankratz says. Is Something Wrong if My Cat Doesn’t React to “Pspspsps?”

Is Something Wrong if My Cat Doesn’t React to “Pspspsps?”

Cats are known to be curious animals, and they may be drawn to the “ pspspsps ” sound out of a desire to investigate and understand what is happening. We used to keep fresh-cut flowers from our yard all over the house. But so many things we grow are toxic to cats, so we finally just gave up and enjoy the flowers outside,” he said. “I really miss making the bouquets so I started making them again, but only in fabric this time.”

Cats are social animals (although many people believe they’re not – that’s a common misconception) and often respond well to positive attention and interaction from humans. The intention behind this noise is to actually get a cat to come over to you and purr pleasantly. As it happened with this user, “I told my cat for you and she jumped onto my lap for cuddles.” Many cats have learned to hear the sound of a can opening or [the] crinkle of a bag to be associated with delicious canned food or treats so they may come running and begging at those sounds,” Pankratz says. Cats are social animals and may respond to strange noises to seek attention and interaction. • Playfulness The noise mimics the sound of a small animal, such as a mouse or a bird, which could engage a cat’s predatory instincts. • Attention-seeking behaviorThis higher frequency sound paired with a consonant that interrupts that sounds create a staccato sound that is abrupt and attention-grabbing,” Pankratz says. A user mentioned that he will “pspsps my 20-year-old man when I get home.” However, the user also mentioned that the feline cannot hear properly. Appreciating the reply, another user said he “loves that you refer to your cat as a man xD I call mine my ‘baby boy’.” During the pandemic, cats became a huge part of artist Joey Veltkamp’s life. What started as taking in one persistent stray kitty soon turned into a brood of five after Veltkamp and his husband, artist Ben Gannon, also took in that kitty’s pregnant mate. After making residence in his heart, these cats are now popping up in Veltkamp’s work. Cats can hear sound frequencies three times higher than we can — presumably so they can find prey more easily,” DeVoss says. One of the leading theories as to why cats are attracted to pspsps is that the sound imitates several other sounds that cats are naturally interested in. Pspsps is actually an onomatopoeia for several sounds found in nature. It could be the sound of rustling leaves or tiny claws scratching the dirt. For some cats, it might remind them of a bird ruffling its feathers or the buzz of an interesting insect. All of these sounds signal great fun if you’re a cat with a predatory instinct.

The following year, YouTuber Jeremy on easy shared a video entitled "pispispispispispispis," in which a man makes the noise to a cat. Within one year, the post received more than 135,000 views (shown below, right).

What Other Weird Noises Do Cats Like?

But there is one thing we know for sure – it’s been around for a long time and will continue to be used for many years! Do Cats Like The “Pspspsps” Sound? If your cat’s pupils dilate when you say “pspsps” it could be a sign of fear or intrigue depending on the context. Getty Assuming their hearing is intact, a cat may have learned that the ‘pspspsps’ does not signal anything of interest to them, neither a threat nor something worth investigating and so they may ignore that sound,” Pankratz says. Cats are known to be curious animals, and they may be drawn to the sound of “pspspsps” out of a desire to investigate and find out what is happening around them! It’s unclear where the “pspspsps” sound specifically originated from or how it became associated with trying to catch a cat’s attention.

It’s the feline equivalent of Kryptonite — and no, we’re not talking about catnip. We’re talking about the odd, high-pitched noise of “ pspspsps.” If a human dares whisper this strange sound, a cat is likely to perk up and rush to their attention, or, alternatively, flee for their lives. But why does “pspspsps” trigger such a deep-seated reaction in cats? Well, there isn’t exactly a wealth of peer-reviewed research on this topic, but pet experts have a few guesses up their sleeves. Let’s dive into the weird science behind this high-pitched sound. By making a similar noise, we may be able to grab their attention and engage their predatory instincts. Theory No. 2: They’re Curious To See “What’s Up”

How Do Cats Respond to “Pspspsps?”

Whether we are trying to engage a cat’s predatory instincts, capture their attention, or show them affection, the sound of “pspspsps” serves as a unique form of communication between humans and cats. We all know cats to be very curious animals, right?! Because of this, cats may be drawn to investigate and understand what is happening when they hear an unfamiliar noise (such as the pspspsps noise!). • Predatory instincts Further, cats may have learned over time that their humans make that noise for largely no reason, and, therefore, it’s a sound they can safely ignore without consequence. Delgado explains that cats “may have learned that the ‘pspspsps’ sounds means ‘my human is bothering me and there are no treats involved!’”