Scientific Progress Goes "pspspsps"

May 8, 2023 2:25 PM

French scientists study the important issues and have discovered the best way to call a strange cat to you. (SLGizmodo)

According to researchers at Paris Nanterre University’s Laboratory of Compared Ethology and Cognition, a combined vocal and visual strategy works best for calling a cat that hasn't met you before, and visual cues have stronger responses.

posted by NoxAeternum (50 comments total)

Don't do it. You'll have to feed it forever. Just ask my yard cat, Hobbes. Who's a good kitty? You are, Hobbes, you filthy little fur ball.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:28 PM on May 8, 2023 [29 favorites]

Now I want a video demonstration of "vocal sounds for calling cats from around the world"
posted by daisystomper at 2:41 PM on May 8, 2023 [15 favorites]

A block away from my place there's a car I often see parked with a bumper sticker that reads TELL YOUR CAT I SAID PSPSPS
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:42 PM on May 8, 2023 [52 favorites]

French people seem to have their own unique way of getting cats to notice them. The paper details de Mouzon using “a sort of ‘pff pff’ sound” as her vocal cue, which is apparently widely used by people in France to call cats.

Now I want to know the various vocal cues of the world!
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:46 PM on May 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

Never seen a cat anywhere that didn't turn it's head to face a kissing noise
posted by condesita at 2:51 PM on May 8, 2023 [7 favorites]

Be nice if someone could research the best way to stop the neighbours' cats crapping all over my vegetable beds.
posted by pipeski at 2:52 PM on May 8, 2023 [8 favorites]

This is relevant to my interests.
posted by tclark at 2:53 PM on May 8, 2023 [7 favorites]

other important research in this field
posted by Acari at 2:55 PM on May 8, 2023 [10 favorites]

Be nice if someone could research the best way to stop the neighbours' cats crapping all over my vegetable beds.

Don’t have vegetable beds.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:56 PM on May 8, 2023 [12 favorites]

"pspspsps" would seem to close to hissing to me. Our cat calling technique is more of a gentle tongue click - and it seems to work pretty well, given the number of neighborhood cats that now recognize us on sight during our walks. (Our route has been dubbed the "cat loop" by our son, and he knows where all the friendly cats live, and the names of MOST of the cats, either from reading their collars or by talking to the owners. The sole exceptions are a white cat we see only once in a great while, and a tabby we have dubbed "Squeakers" because of the creaky squeaky voice he has. Neither wears a collar.)

Many of these cats will come running to get some pettin' if they spot us out for a walk. It's hilarious. Shout out to our regulars, Meeko, Squeakers, Biggie, Cello, Jinx, Gus, and Edie. (Props to all those only-seen-once, only-petted-once cats, too.)
posted by caution live frogs at 3:01 PM on May 8, 2023 [30 favorites]

I find humming R.E.O. Speedwagon works.
posted by clavdivs at 3:02 PM on May 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

Now I want a video demonstration of "vocal sounds for calling cats from around the world"

projects, daisystomper, projects is waiting.
posted by j_curiouser at 3:02 PM on May 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

I find humming R.E.O. Speedwagon works.

Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from another you've been pspspsing around
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:05 PM on May 8, 2023 [31 favorites]

okokok. I make soft cluck like sound and then rub my fingers then hold open the hand.

Though once, I got robbed doing that.
posted by clavdivs at 3:05 PM on May 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

I have a coworker who can attract over half the feral cats on campus by making a trill-like meow. The one cats make that's halfway between a purr and a meow? That one.*

*It helps that she's the primary feeder, I suppose.
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:10 PM on May 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

> The one cats make that's halfway between a purr and a meow?

when i was a small thing i noticed mother cats using that noise to call their kittens, and then realized that i could make precisely that sound and have all the kittens in the neighborhood come running to me. unfortunately i lost the right tone when i stopped being a small thing, but nevertheless for a few glorious years i could kitten-summon at will.
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 3:23 PM on May 8, 2023 [28 favorites]

I have a coworker who can attract over half the feral cats on campus by making a trill-like meow.

---

other important research in this field

I wonder if German works so well in that video because of the rolled-r / trilling sound.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:34 PM on May 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

The cats approached de Mouzon the fastest when she used both vocal and visual cues to catcall them, compared to the control condition—a finding that wasn’t too unexpected. But the team was surprised by the fact that the cats responded quicker to the visual cues alone than they did to the vocal cues.

This is fascinating! And explains why a couple of my cats responded more often to my hand gestures.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:37 PM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

clavdivs: I find humming R.E.O. Speedwagon works.

Ridin’ the storm out
Waitin’ for the me-ow
posted by dr_dank at 3:40 PM on May 8, 2023 [3 favorites]

It depends how strange the cat is. Some cats are very odd indeed.
posted by Grangousier at 3:52 PM on May 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

The clucking works for me. And I have trained our nesting Steller's Jays to it, too, as they know me as Mr. Unsalted Peanuts in the Shell.

By the way cats have two separate behaviors derived from those of female cats in heat to approach humans indoors and out. Indoors they arch their backs and rub up against your legs back and forth. Outdoors, they flop over, show their bellies and twist around on their spines with their paws in the air. How about that sexual subtextual repertoire, hmm? Our kinky kitties want to us to rub them the right way.
posted by y2karl at 4:06 PM on May 8, 2023 [5 favorites]

Mod note: Minor derail about kink, cats in heat and genital contact removed. Let's stop while we're ahead folks.
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 4:56 PM on May 8, 2023 [19 favorites]

When you pspspsps into the void, sometimes it pspspspsps back.
posted by loquacious at 5:40 PM on May 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

Minor derail about kink, cats in heat and genital contact removed. Let's stop while we're ahead folks.

Wait, what!?

*backs out of the thread rapidly*
posted by loquacious at 5:42 PM on May 8, 2023 [24 favorites]

I communicate with strange cats by crouching down and holding out a hand, quite still (no handwaving), avoiding direct eye contact but looking sidelong for a slow blink.

This technique worked notably well on one cold night with a skittish neighbourhood cat who felt comfortable enough to come and hide under my long skirt. Passers-by were treated to the sight of me huddled on the sidewalk talking to my own crotch. Good times.

My formerly-shy cat Mystery will avoid a held-out hand if it’s moving or beckoning, but if you hold your hand still, she will approach, sniff it and (if she approves), give it a face-rub. Once a face-rub has been granted, You May Pet.
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:54 PM on May 8, 2023 [24 favorites]

I wouild be interested to know if the same cues worked with larger species of cats, in the same way catnip does*. Although on consideration, I can see there might be difficulty in coming up with an experimental design that didn't result in the experimenter being eaten. Maybe trials on some other species of small cat first.

*I can't find the article, but apparently catnip oil is used in live-trapping lions when they need to be moved around in game reserves, and it also works on most other species of big cat except cheetahs (for some reason).
posted by Fuchsoid at 6:06 PM on May 8, 2023

MetaFilter: Passers-by were treated to the sight of me huddled on the sidewalk talking to my own crotch.
posted by loquacious at 6:13 PM on May 8, 2023 [16 favorites]

I can usually get our orange tabby Beatrix to come over and get in my lap by very softly whistling a fast “yoo-hoo” pattern several times.

Edited to pay the cat tax.
posted by slkinsey at 6:34 PM on May 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

I spent the winter playing with a clicker and training my cat to give me a high-five, so now when I see him across the room and hold up my hand he’ll come running over. Sometimes. If he wants to.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 6:41 PM on May 8, 2023 [7 favorites]

I spent the weekend trying to get a black cat to wander through our show (outdoor venue, show is a disaster wedding). It worked a treat on a rainy Friday, but alas, the weather was dry enough the other nights that my enticements no longer worked.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:05 PM on May 8, 2023

slap on some perfume

"Turns out, Obsession for Men worked at least as well as catnip and the commercial attractants. Some species, particularly ocelots, were only attracted to the artificial scents and never the catnip traps."

posted by sebastienbailard at 7:25 PM on May 8, 2023 [4 favorites]

You should've seen by the look in my eyes, kitty
I was pspsps-ing
You should've known by hand motions I made, cutie
But you didn't listen
You played dead
Didnt' turn your head
Insead you lay still in the grass
All curled up and purring

I hope you know, want to be your fren
Still you won't surrender
'Cuz you're a cat, baby, full of disdain
And always a wand'rer

And I meant, every treat I gave
When I said that I'd feed you
I meant that I'd feed you forever

And I'm gonna keep on petting you
'Cause it's the only thing I wanna do
I don't wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on petting you

[cat meowing interlude]

And I meant, every treat I gave
When I said that I'd feed you
I meant that I'd feed you forever

And I'm gonna keep on petting you
'Cause it's the only thing I wanna do
I don't wanna sleep
I just wanna keep on petting you
posted by Gorgik at 8:19 PM on May 8, 2023 [17 favorites]

Be nice if someone could research the best way to stop the neighbours' cats crapping all over my vegetable beds.

What you need is a good old-fashioned scarecat for the garden. Get a big pole, and suspend a vacuum cleaner filled with straw from it. Works best when positioned in front of your scarecrow (which you'll need once the cats are gone anyway).
posted by amtho at 8:27 PM on May 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best way to stop the neighbors cats crapping all over my vegetable garden

Motion sensor that turns on one of these laser pointer displays.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:42 PM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Legit thought this was going to be an article taking the STARDENBURDENHARDENBART meme seriously.

(but wait DOES it actually work)
posted by chrominance at 10:34 PM on May 8, 2023

Can we have a follow-up study on how 'pshwshwshwsh' varies across cultures and languages.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 2:11 AM on May 9, 2023

The cats approached de Mouzon the fastest when she used both vocal and visual cues to catcall them

I mean, I guess that is the right verb, but it is unusual to find it used in this context. The more metaphorical definition seems to have taken pride of place.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:48 AM on May 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

it also works on most other species of big cat except cheetahs (for some reason).

Cheetahs are the asterisk of the feline world. I don’t know that much about them save for their proverbial swiftness, but someone pointed out to me once that with their pack behaviour, their non-retractable claws, their “pursue and run down rather than pounce” tactics, that cheetahs are just dogs built on a cat chassis. I have found little to overturn this metaphor.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:54 AM on May 9, 2023 [5 favorites]

"Minor derail about kink, cats in heat and genital contact removed. Let's stop while we're ahead folks" is the most Metafilter deletion reason. I love you all you are the best.
posted by Pyrogenesis at 6:15 AM on May 9, 2023 [6 favorites]

"pspspsps" would seem to close to hissing to me.

A proper hiss comes from the back of the throat. Pspsps is sort of percussively blown through your teeth, like a slightly moist whistle.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:18 AM on May 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

Came for the article in the OP, stayed for the REO Speedwagon parodies.
posted by May Kasahara at 6:20 AM on May 9, 2023

Metafilter: blown through your teeth, like a slightly moist whistle.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 6:20 AM on May 9, 2023 [4 favorites]

Metafilter.com is one of the strangest sites I've seen in some time. I have no idea how these people got their cats wedged into their ... you know what, never mind, I'm quitting while I'm ahead.
posted by Reverend John at 7:05 AM on May 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

> Best way to stop the neighbors cats crapping all over my vegetable garden

A possible solution.
posted by sebastienbailard at 7:19 AM on May 9, 2023

I'm not sure if folks from Korea are any more or less partial to cats compared to folks from other places, but my Korean friend always made such a fuss over the cat at our place. He did not grow up with animals and didn't always pet the old cat in a way that looked 'right' (e.g. against the grain) but the cat seemed happy enough for the attention. We were walking up the steep hill on the way back to the house one lovely evening and it was like magic, all the cats of the street seemed to come out to visit us along our way: every 2-3 houses, a cat approached us to greet us on the sidewalk and in truth it was a little uncanny. My friend was very happy that evening and I could not account for the cats' behaviour. Reading upthread I think it was at least partly if not mostly related to most of the cats being (female) in heat.
posted by elkevelvet at 7:27 AM on May 9, 2023 [1 favorite]

They recruited help from 12 cats living at a cat cafe.

listen this is very cute and all but by god is this is poorly designed study
posted by paimapi at 7:51 AM on May 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

An embarassing moment last year was baby talking to a neighborhood laneway cat for 3 minutes then resuming my jog to see its human sitting on the stoop immediately around the corner.

At home six cats visit regularly and occasionally have awkward not-staring contests. That body language is clear enough.
posted by anthill at 3:48 PM on May 9, 2023 [2 favorites]

> They recruited help from 12 cats living at a cat cafe.

> listen this is very cute and all but by god is this is poorly designed study

Eh, one issue with cat behavior studies is when you bring a volunteered cat to a new place like a lab, the cat reacts by freaking out/investigating-all-the-things. Visiting a cat cafe avoids that, and avoids some of the confounding effects of doing this study via house calls. You search for your keys under the lamppost you have, not the lamppost you wish you had.
posted by sebastienbailard at 12:11 AM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

a single cat cafe means a single environment under a single pack with cats that are regularly in contact with new humans who are also operating on a 9-5 cycle of open/close and presumably also adoption being an option so cats constantly coming and leaving

I don't have an issue with cat cafes as a resource, but a single one? no, I will continue to tss tss to cats and watch them respond and stick my finger out like a lil button nose and only pet them when they rub up against me regardless of what anyone says
posted by paimapi at 8:32 AM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Science: Cats like it when you slow-blink at them

The second experiment included 24 cats from eight different households. This time, it wasn't the owners doing the blinking but the researchers, who'd had no prior contact with the cat. For a control, the cats were recorded responding to a no–blink condition, in which humans stared at the cats without blinking their eyes.

The researchers performed the same slow–blink process as the first experiment, adding an extended hand toward the cat. And they found that not only were the cats more likely to blink back, but they were also more likely to approach the human's hand after the human blinked.

posted by sebastienbailard at 2:13 AM on May 26, 2023 [2 favorites]