How do you call a pet in Spanish?

Question

In English, to call (for example) a cat, one usually whisper/whistles something like:

psh-wsh-wsh

or calls

Here, kitty kitty kitty...

Are there similar words used in Spanish? Do they vary for different animals?

Here we use these expressions to call... dogs : Ks ks ks ks / cats: bistu bistu bistu — Meer Meer, Commented Feb 21, 2020 at 15:19

jacobo · Accepted Answer · 2020-12-15 16:48:37Z

3

The RAE lists a rich variety of different animal calls used by people for different domestic animals:

Animal	call	shoo	lie down	charge	misc
dog	tuso, tusa,¹ tus,³ to,³ cuz,³ cito	za, zuzo, chucho	cucha	azuzar
chicken	pira,³ pita, pitas³	ox, os
cat	mio, mino, miso, miz,² morro, morra,¹ cucho, cuchito^Chile	zape
pig	chin, cuchí, cochi,³ cuino^Asturias
Hunting birds	hucho, huchohó
Bulls, cows, oxen				jau	jo^León
Horses				apá	so/cho, huesque, ria
Misc	che	huichó^Chile		jau, arre, harre²

^{1. Specifically female animals.}
^{2. Archaic.}
^{3. Also used repeatedly.}

answered Dec 29, 2018 at 23:40

jacobo

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3

I don't agree at all with RAE. Nobody would use those in Spain. In fact, "chucho" is perro, not gato.
– FGSUZ
Commented Dec 30, 2018 at 1:08
@FGSUZ I imagine a lot of these are dialectal (some say this explicitly) or have fallen out of use in modern Spanish (especially as society has become increasingly urban and less agrarian). Note that the word to call a cat is cucho though, not chucho.
– jacobo
Commented Dec 30, 2018 at 11:37
I have not heard ANY of these in Colombia. :)
– DGaleano
Commented Feb 20, 2020 at 19:28

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jacobo · Accepted Answer · 2018-12-31 14:24:01Z

2

Personally and people I know when they try to get the attention of an unknown animal (in the south of Spain):

Cat: misi or mini

Dog: tubi

Usually they say them multiple times (misi misi misi...).

jacobo

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answered Dec 31, 2018 at 13:28

Dahnark

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Huh, I've never heard tubi - what country/region is this?
– jacobo
Commented Dec 31, 2018 at 14:18
1

South of Spain. Maybe you heard Tobi
– Dahnark
Commented Dec 31, 2018 at 14:20

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2 Answers 2