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. Finally, some people believe that saying “pspspsps” to cats is simply a way to bond with them and show them affection. 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.

On the flip side: If humans used the noise around their pets when they were kittens — followed by petting or cuddling — then the cat will learn to associate the sound with a positive outcome.If an adult cat has never heard the sound before, he might respond in alarm to the unfamiliar noise,” DeVoss says. 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. If your cat is pleased to hear you say “pspspsps,” they’ll probably react with more positive body language such as: 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!

Why Do Cats Respond To The “Pspspsps” Sound We Make? Theory No. 1: It Reminds Them Of The Sound Their Prey Makes It’s unclear where the “pspspsps” sound specifically originated from or how it became associated with trying to catch a cat’s attention.The Inverse analysis — Veterinary behaviorists state cats' reaction to noises like “pspspsps” is partly a learned response to repeated interactions with their human owners — a sort of Pavlovian conditioning if you will. Other body language patterns may be more ambiguous and you’ll need to use the context to judge whether your pet is amused or threatened. Humans make strange noises; cats respond because they are social animals, as they recognize the sound of the human voice. Instead, the sound may grab their attention and cause them to focus on us, the source of the noise.