Every cat, upon hearing 'ks-ks' or 'kis-kis-kis', will surely turn around. But what exactly draws their attention to this sound?
There are several explanations for this phenomenon. One reason is experience. In different countries, people call cats in various ways, using similar sounds. For example, in Russia, it is 'ks-ks', in Turkey — 'pş-pş', and in the Czech Republic — 'či-či-či'. In this case, animals respond not so much to the sound itself, but to the signal it conveys. Usually, we call cats when we want to pet or feed them. Pets remember these moments and therefore happily run to our call.
Another theory suggests that the sound 'ks-ks' resembles the hissing that cats make when they are angry or scared. Kittens growing up in such conditions understand that if their mother makes this aggressive sound, something is wrong. Therefore, from an early age, cats realize that such a sound requires attention. When we call them this way, pets may think that we are trying to warn them — they come to the sound, knowing that we will do everything possible to protect them.
Another hypothesis is related to the imitation of natural sounds. The sound 'ks-ks' or 'pş-pş' may mimic various sounds found in nature, such as rustling leaves or the small claws of another animal scratching the ground. Some cats may perceive this as the sound of a bird or the buzzing of an interesting insect. All these sounds are associated with hunting and fun if you have a developed predatory instinct!
Scientists also emphasize that it is the sound 's' itself, which is produced at a high frequency. The hearing range of cats reaches 85 kHz, while that of humans is only 20 kHz. The sounds 'ks-ks' and 'kis-kis' are very sharp and rarely occur in their usual environment. However, they may resemble the high-frequency sounds of rodents! That is why cats may be attracted to such an unusual 'call'.
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