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If you want to take your cat’s photo but can’t get their attention, you might try making any high-pitched noise — not just “pspspsps.” They’re also attracted to noises that sound like rodents scurrying, such as scratching a paper bag or fabric. Some cats may respond to whistling. Finally, there may be a simpler explanation as to why your pet doesn’t care about “pspsps”: it’s simply being lazy. 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. 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. 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.

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. This 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’.”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.” We tend to forget our felines are one of the most efficient predators out there, so it’s no wonder the sound of prey catches their attention! There's been no research on the pspspsps sound response in cats, and we can't ask cats directly why most seem to respond to it,” Mikel Delgado, a cat expert at Feline Minds, tells Inverse. Why Do Cats React to “Pspspsps?” Finally, some people believe that saying “pspspsps” to cats is simply a way to bond with them and show them affection. 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!’”

Another theory is that the sound simply captures the cat’s attention and causes them to focus on us.

What Other Weird Noises Do Cats Like?

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. While the exact origin and history of the “pspsps” sound is unknown, it is clear that this peculiar sound has a powerful and enduring place in our interactions with furry friends! Many felines are drawn to high-pitched noises — like baby talk — whistling, and the rustling of paper bags. Getty/Kevin O'Mara

If your cat is pleased to hear you say “pspspsps,” they’ll probably react with more positive body language such as:

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Some cats may respond to the sound of “pspspsps” by becoming more alert and focused, as the sound might put them in the “hunting mood”!