# What does this sound mean to a cat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 9, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837 "2009-03-09T15:22:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Buran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Buran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buran)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/1 "2009-03-09T15:22:36Z")
I don’t know if its a universal thing but if I’ve ever wanted to get a cats attention I’ve used _(I don’t know how to write this without it sounding extraordinarily silly but bear with me)_ the ‘pushywushy’ sound by blowing air over the top of the tongue. Without fail it always makes a cat turn around and take notice but early today _(which inspired this thread)_ I noticed a large tomcat prowling around in the field behind my house, it was still about a hundred feet away when I made that noise to attract its attention, it looked around to see where the noise was coming from, I made it again and it literally ran down the field towards me, onto the garden wall and onto my bedroom window meowing frantically the whole time. Maybe it just thought I was going to give it food but it seems to have a more general effect than that. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/2 "2009-03-10T22:38:35Z")
my chinchilla would make a “wushy” sound sometimes when he was upset or distressed about something. i would imitate that sound. when i make that sound around the cats that i have that started out on the street, they go wild. my very mild, sweet natured cat came right up to me and slapped me when i made that sound. could be a rodent sound that means dinner to them. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/3 "2009-03-10T23:53:33Z")
I make a wide variety of sounds, but I’m at a loss trying to figure what noise you’re describing. Is it possible for you to post a video? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/4 "2009-03-11T00:42:45Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I make a wide variety of sounds, but I’m at a loss trying to figure what noise you’re describing. Is it possible for you to post a video? I assume the OP is talking about blowing a raspberry. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/5 "2009-03-11T01:12:18Z")
> [@](#): > > my very mild, sweet natured cat came right up to me and slapped me when i made that sound. OMG, I thought our cat Thor was the only one. Seriously, we were doing the “pbthhhpbbt” sound near him when he was about 6 months old, and he ran up and swatted one of us on the arm, looking all shocked and kinda disturbed like “I CANT TAKE IT! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!! AAAUUGHHHHHHH!!!” ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/6 "2009-03-11T02:12:44Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I assume the OP is talking about blowing a raspberry. Maybe I’m weird, but I blow raspberries under my tongue. I can blow them over, but those are higher pitched. I also make a raspberry noise with my lips alone, like Victor Borge’s period from his [phonetic punctuation.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4qii8S3gw) ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/7 "2009-03-11T15:13:16Z")
Is it a raspberry noise, or a hissing air noise? I tend to do the hissing air noise to get a cat’s attention. I would imagine that someone who was feeding the tomcat in the OP makes a similar noise, and that got that cat thinking he had found another meal ticket. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/8 "2009-03-11T16:22:49Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I assume the OP is talking about blowing a raspberry. Definitely not. This is the universal “call a cat” sound, that is often ignored, but at least they will turn their heads. Go “sssssssssssssssssssssssssssss” and use your lips to modulate the sound. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/9 "2009-03-11T16:30:23Z")
I call my cat with a kiss, kiss sound. Make a kissy sound twice in a row, fast. That’s my cat call (as well as all the people in my family). I don’t get what the OP is describing! Edit: Ha, I mean, everyone in my family uses that to call their cats too, not that I call \*them \*that way! ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/10 "2009-03-11T17:07:09Z")
My cats attack me when I play my harmonica (and not out of an appreciation of good blues, I suspect). I wonder if that’s somehow akin to your ‘pushywushy’ sound? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/11 "2009-03-11T17:18:14Z")
The universal c’mere sound every mother cat uses to call the kittens to dinner goes like this. Some describe it as a trill. You say, “rrrroww?” with a rising tone at the end, like a question. If you can trill your tongue in the process, that’s good, but not necessary. DO NOT look at the cat while doing it. Wiggle the fingers of one hand, while still looking away, and the most aloof cat will approach you. People with a standoffish cat will be amazed. “He never talks to strangers!”😛 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/12 "2009-03-11T17:22:24Z")
Make a “sssss” sound like you are imitating a snake. Now, instead of just baring your lips for the hiss, relax them and, while you are hissing, use your lips to make a “puh-puh-puh-puh” pucker motion. This produces the Universal Cat Sound™. My working assumption is that it: - produces a tone in their frequency sweet spot - sounds like a small animal moving through plants - is sudden and in contrast to the surrounding, ambient noises - and cats, like most predators, are genetically coded to focus on stand-out sensory input, like something moving against a still background. My $.02 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/13 "2009-03-11T17:22:54Z")
> [@](#): > > blowing air over the top of the tongue. makes me believe the OP refers to the trill or roll made when rolling one’s Rs. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/14 "2009-03-11T17:29:19Z")
OK, I’ve produced about 17 different odd sounds while reading this thread trying to follow people’s descriptions of the ‘universal cat sound’. I think we’ll need some clarification – audio file? Video anybody? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/15 "2009-03-11T18:51:16Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > OK, I’ve produced about 17 different odd sounds while reading this thread trying to follow people’s descriptions of the ‘universal cat sound’. I think we’ll need some clarification – audio file? Video anybody? This. In their previous lives, most cats have learned that post #1 inevitably foreshadows up to 59 different experimental homo sapien howls, all annoying. Thus wizened in their old age, they now preemptively attack at the very first sign. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/16 "2009-03-11T19:31:38Z")
I get fairly good results with strange cats with a high pitched _kittykittykittykittykitty_. _My_ kitty, however, figured it out almost immediately. I’d probably get more of a rise out of her with a dog whistle. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/17 "2009-03-11T20:35:17Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > OK, I’ve produced about 17 different odd sounds while reading this thread trying to follow people’s descriptions of the ‘universal cat sound’. I think we’ll need some clarification – audio file? Video anybody? For me it’s PSSST but without the T. PSSSPSSSPSSS ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/18 "2009-03-11T22:26:59Z")
it is a wushy sound. we need a distressed chinchilla! ya know the oooh, oooh, oooh, sound that chimps make? that is a really loud version of the wushy sound. chinchillas don’t have the vocal cords of chimps so it is much breathier and softer. the mouth shape and breath push are the same when a human tries it. start with chimp sound, keeping you jaw and mouth in the same position just breathe in and out like you are panting (or playing the harmonica), the air will make a wushy sound as it goes in and out. that is the best way i can explain it, good luck. cats do tend to have a bit of a violent reaction to it. my three thought i was out of my head trying all sorts of noises to try to get a written example of the “wushy”. raspberry is a very different sound, as it the universal pssssst, puss, puss cat call. oregon sunshine, it shocked me as well, i never made the sound near her, unless in an actual emergency and i wanted to call her to me. she was an all black cat and hard to find sometimes in the basement. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/19 "2009-03-11T22:42:50Z")
I’m also trying to wrap my mind around what it sounds like. OK Chinchilla owners, which sound on [this](http://www.chinchilla-sounds.de/index_en.htm) page best describes it? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837/20 "2009-03-11T23:04:01Z")
under communications the 3rd or 4th sound on the page. greystoke knew i would come running when i heard this sound. he would do it if i was away for a bit. his were a lot breathier. the 5th one on mating is the one i got slapped by winken the wonderful on. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sound-mean-to-a-cat/488837.md?page=2)