I've heard that my whole life in the US. I think my dad taught it to me when I was really young, because he loves cats and our neighbors across the street had some outdoor cats.
Well it seems everyone uses that! Thanks guys, I had no idea and this is so interesting to know. Now I wonder if someone has made some kind of study about it. I'll go looking.
I think it has become common, but I never heard it until a few years ago. Now it's seemingly everywhere. When I was a kid, it was just "Here kitty kitty" or making a clicking noise with your tongue or something.
A fun book is Bad Magic by Stephan Zielinski. Kind of an awkward one to find since it's a common title from a while back (2004) at the very start of urban fantasy... and the author didn't appear to have written anything else.
At one point in the book, several of the characters are in South America looking for a jaguar. They ask the synesthetic mage of their group (each character has a different magical background)...
“Got anything to call a jaguar?”
Rider purses his lips. “Well … there is one incantation. But I’m not sure it’ll work. Even the most skilled thaumaturges can’t pull it off more than a quarter of the time.”
Sturgeon shrugs. “May as well try it, Al.”
Rider nods. “Okay. Be quiet, everybody.” He rolls his head on his neck, holds up his arms. Takes several deep breaths. Opens his mouth. Intones, “Here, kitty kitty kitty … here, kitty…”
Chloe throws a clot of mud in his face as Rider dissolves into whoops of laughter. Everybody shakes their heads in disgust and they troop off into the green.
Wait, "pspspsps"? Where are you from? I thought only Greeks do "pspspsps".
I've heard that my whole life in the US. I think my dad taught it to me when I was really young, because he loves cats and our neighbors across the street had some outdoor cats.
Growing up in the Midwest it was always kitty kitty kitty kitty KITTY with the last one said at the top of your lungs.
No idea why it worked. It's terrifying.
1 reply →
Well it seems everyone uses that! Thanks guys, I had no idea and this is so interesting to know. Now I wonder if someone has made some kind of study about it. I'll go looking.
We do it in Italy too, afair (I'm a bit in doubt if we also do "tch tch tch")
No, it's somewhat common here in Brazil too.
It’s very common in the USA.
I think it has become common, but I never heard it until a few years ago. Now it's seemingly everywhere. When I was a kid, it was just "Here kitty kitty" or making a clicking noise with your tongue or something.
1 reply →
That's a worldwide thing, as well as other stupid human noises ;)
Tch tch tch
All of the US and some of Canada does pspspsps
wait where in Canada do they don't do pspspsps?
(is there a francophone different one?)
Australia also uses pspspsps - at least my part of it and my family and friends.
(and for some Australians some of the time, "ps ps fuckin ps, ya cunting cat!" of course. ;- ) )
"Cunting"! Not just "cunt" but "cunting"! I learned so much from this thread! :D
We also do it in Spain, I think it is the international cat calling code.
We do it on the United Kingdom
Where in the UK? I've lived in the UK, in the Southeast, for 21 years and I never heard anyone say "pspsps".
I mean I don't doubt you, I just thought Brits just say "here kitty kitty" because that's what I usually see in movies and TV shows and so on.
It's funny what you miss when you're not embedded in the culture of a place since birth...
1 reply →
I'm from America, and we do spspspsp.
Can confirm that non-greek Americans do this as well.
And Romanians.
My German grandmother did it, too.
We do it in America
pspspsps is biological , it's common noise to get a cats attention (in many places) because it stimulates their prey drive.
A fun book is Bad Magic by Stephan Zielinski. Kind of an awkward one to find since it's a common title from a while back (2004) at the very start of urban fantasy... and the author didn't appear to have written anything else.
At one point in the book, several of the characters are in South America looking for a jaguar. They ask the synesthetic mage of their group (each character has a different magical background)...