Why do cats do that? They're cute, they're lovable, and judging by the 26 billions views of over 2 million YouTube videos of them pouncing, bouncing, climbing, cramming, stalking, clawing, chattering, and purring, one thing is certain: cats are very entertaining. These somewhat strange feline behaviors, both amusing and baffling, leave many of us asking, "Why do cats do that?"
Zašto mačke to rade? Simpatične su, ljupke i sudeći prema 26 milijardi pregleda preko dva miliona snimaka na Jutjubu njih kako vrebaju, skaču, penju se, prežderavaju, love, oštre kandže, cvrkuću i predu, jedno je sigurno: mačke su veoma zabavne. Ova unekoliko čudna mačja ponašanja, istovremeno zabavna i zbunjujuća, ostavljaju mnoge od nas zapitane: "Zašto to mačke rade?"
Throughout time, cats were simultaneously solitary predators of smaller animals and prey for larger carnivores. As both predator and prey, survival of their species depended on crucial instinctual behaviors which we still observe in wild and domestic cats today. While the feline actions of your house cat Grizmo might seem perplexing, in the wild, these same behaviors, naturally bred into cats for millions of years, would make Grizmo a super cat.
Dugo su mačke bile istovremeno usamljene grabljivice manjih životinja i plen većih mesoždera. Budući i grabljivice i plen, opstanak njihove vrste je zavisio od presudnog instinktivnog ponašanja koje i dalje zapažamo u divljini i kod pripitomljenih mačaka. Iako se mačji postupci vaše kućne mačke, Grizma, mogu činiti zbunjujućim, u divljini, ista ova ponašanja, prirodno negovana kod mačaka milionima godina, bi od Grizma stvorili supermačku.
Enabled by their unique muscular structure and keen balancing abilities, cats climbed to high vantage points to survey their territory and spot prey in the wild. Grizmo doesn't need these particular skills to find and hunt down dinner in her food bowl today, but instinctually, viewing the living room from the top of the bookcase is exactly what she has evolved to do.
Zahvaljujući jedinstvenoj mišićnoj strukturi i prefinjenim sposobnostima za ravnotežu, mačke su se pele na visoke kote kako bi nadgledale svoju teritoriju i kako bi zapazile plen u divljini. Grizmu danas nisu potrebne ove specifične veštine da bi našao i ulovio večeru u svojoj činiji, ali instinktivno, posmatranje dnevnog boravka s vrha police
As wild predators, cats are opportunistic and hunt whenever prey is available. Since most cat prey are small, cats in the wild needed to eat many times each day, and use a stalk, pounce, kill, eat strategy to stay fed. This is why Grizmo prefers to chase and pounce on little toys and eat small meals over the course of the day and night. Also, small prey tend to hide in tiny spaces in their natural environments, so one explanation for Grizmo's propensity to reach into containers and openings is that she is compelled by the same curiosity that helped ensure the continuation of her species for millions of years before.
je upravo ono što je evoluirala da radi. Kao divlje grabljivice, mačke su oportunisti i love kad god ima plena. Kako je mačji plen uglavnom sitan, mačke su u divljini morale da jedu mnogo puta u toku dana i koristile su strategije prikradanja, vrebanja, ubijanja i hranjenja kako bi bile site. Zato Grizmo više voli da lovi i vreba sitne igračke i da jede male obroke tokom dana i noći. Takođe, mali se plen skriva u sićušnim prostorima u svom prirodnom okruženju, pa je jedno od objašnjenja za Grizmovu sklonost da poseže u posude i otvore to što je primorana istom onom znatiželjom
In the wild, cats needed sharp claws for climbing, hunting, and self-defense. Sharpening their claws on nearby surfaces kept them conditioned and ready, helped stretch their back and leg muscles, and relieve some stress, too. So, it's not that Grizmo hates your couch, chair, ottoman, pillows, curtains, and everything else you put in her environment. She's ripping these things to shreds and keeping her claws in tip-top shape because this is exactly what her ancestors did in order to survive.
koja joj je omogućila očuvanje vrste milionima godina ranije. U divljini su mačkama bile potrebne oštre kandže za penjanje, lov i samoodbranu. Oštrenje kandži o obližnje površine održavalo ih je u kondiciji i spremnim, pomagalo im je da istegnu leđa i mišiće na nogama kao i da se oslobode stresa. Dakle, ne radi se o tome da Grizmo mrzi vaš kauč, stolicu, otoman, jastuke, zavese i bilo šta drugo što stavite u njenu blizinu. Ona cepa ove stvari na komadiće i održava svoje kandže u vrhunskom stanju jer su upravo to radili njeni preci kako bi preživeli.
As animals that were preyed upon, cats evolved to not get caught, and in the wild, the cats that were the best at avoiding predators thrived. So at your house today, Grizmo is an expert at squeezing into small spaces and seeking out and hiding in unconventional spots. It also explains why she prefers a clean and odor-free litter box. That's less likely to give away her location to any predators that may be sniffing around nearby.
Kao životinje koje su bile plen, mačke su evoluirale da ne budu uhvaćene, a u divljini, mačke koje su bile najbolje u izbegavanju grabljivica su uspevale. Pa, danas u vašoj kući, Grizmo je stručnjak za uguravanje u male prostore i u pronalaženju i skrivanju na neuobičajenim mestima. To takođe objašnjava zašto više voli čist i bez mirisa posip. Tako su manje šanse da će odati njenu lokaciju grabljivicama, koje možda njuškaju u blizini.
Considering everything we do know about cats, it seems that one of their most predominate behaviors is still one of the most mysterious. Cats may purr for any number of reasons, such as happiness, stress, and hunger. But curiously, the frequency of their purrs, between 25 and 150 hertz, is within a range that can promote tissue regeneration. So while her purring makes Grizmo an excellent nap companion, it is also possible that her purr is healing her muscles and bones, and maybe even yours, too.
Uzimajući u obzir sve što znamo o mačkama, čini se da je jedno od njihovih preovlađujućih ponašanja i dalje jedno od najtajanstvenijih. Mačke mogu da predu iz bezbroj razloga, poput sreće, stresa i gladi. Međutim, zanimljivo je da frekvencija njihovog predenja, između 25 i 150 herca, je u opsegu koji može da potpomogne u obnavljanju tkiva. Pa dok predenje čini Grizma savršenim partnerom za dremku, takođe je moguće da njeno predenje leči njene mišiće i kosti, a možda čak i vaše.
They developed through time as both solitary predators that hunted and killed to eat, and stealthy prey that hid and escaped to survive. So cats today retain many of the same instincts that allowed them to thrive in the wild for millions of years. This explains some of their seemingly strange behaviors. To them, our homes are their jungles. But if this is the case, in our own cat's eyes, who are we? Big, dumb, hairless cats competing with them for resources? Terribly stupid predators they're able to outsmart every day? Or maybe they think we're the prey.
Razvile su se vremenom i kao usamljene grabljivice koje su lovile i ubijale da bi jele, i kao nečujni plen koji se skrivao i bežao da bi preživeo. Te su današnje mačke zadržale većinu istih instikata koji su im omogućili da uspevaju u divljini milionima godina. Ovo objašnjava neka od njihovih naoko čudnih ponašanja. Za njih su naši domovi džungle. Ali, ako je to tako, u mačjim očima, ko smo mi? Velike, glupe, ćosave mačke koje se s njima takmiče za resurse? Užasno glupe grabljivice koje svakodnevno uspevaju da nadmudre? Ili, pak, smatraju da smo mi plen.