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?"
为什么猫要这么做? 它们很可爱,惹人喜欢 观众超过260亿人次,YouTube视频200万个, 只为了欣赏它们的抓、扑 跳跃, 攀爬, 狼吞虎咽, 潜行, 抓挠, 不停地叫, 甚至打呼噜, 有件事是确定的: 猫非常很有趣。 这些猫科动物的奇怪行为, 既好玩也让人困惑, 让我们不由自主地要问:“猫为什么这样呢?”
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.
一直以来,猫科动物既能独立猎食小动物 也是大型食肉动物的猎物。 同时作为捕食者和猎物, 物种的生存取决于决定性的生物本能 这些我们今天可以从野生或者家养的猫观察到。 你的猫的行为看上去可能让你困惑 而在野外,这些行为, 经过百万年的自然进化, 足以让 Grizmo变成一只超级猫。
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.
独一无二的肌肉结构和完美的平衡能力, 使猫可以爬到很高的地方侦察领地 并且锁定野外的猎物。 Grizmo不需要这些特别技巧来发现和捕捉食物 为了她今天的饭碗, 可是本质上,从书架顶部观察客厅 正是它在进化中获得的本能。
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.
作为野外猎食者,猫都会时刻准备着捕食猎物。 由于猫的猎物很小 在野外,猫每天要进食很多次, 不停地通过潜行-猛扑-杀死-吃掉的技巧来获得食物。 这就是为什么Grisom喜欢追逐和抓扑小玩具 并且成天不停地吃东西。 而且在野外,小猎物往往隐藏在狭小的空间里, Grizom之所以喜欢躲进容器和小洞中 是好奇心所驱使 这有助于这个物种几百万年得以延续。
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.
在野外,猫需要利爪来爬树,猎食,自我防御。 随时随地摩尖爪子不仅帮助它们时刻保持状态, 还有助于活动腰部和腿部肌肉, 也使压力得到释放。 所以,不是Grizmo恨你的沙发, 椅子, 凳子, 枕头, 窗帘, 以及所有你放在它面前的东西。 它抓挠只是为了保持它的爪子锋利 因为这正是它的祖先为了生存所做的事情。
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.
作为被捕食的猎物, 猫进化出躲避追捕的技能, 在野外,猫非常善于躲避捕食者。 所以直到今天, Grizom仍然是个挤进小空间的专家 常常搜寻或躲藏在意想不到的地方。 这也解释了为什么它喜欢干净无味的小盒子。 那是捕食者不可能发现的地方 即使在附近寻觅的猎食者。
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.
想一下我们知道的关于猫的一切, 然而它们最常见的行为之一 仍然是最神秘的一个。 猫打呼可能有多种原因引起, 比如快乐, 压力, 甚至饥饿, 可是,奇怪的是打呼噜的频率, 在25-150赫兹之间, 这个范围内能促进组织再生。 所以打呼噜使Grizmo成为优秀的陪伴者, 也可能还会治疗它的肌肉和骨头, 甚至可能也包括你的。
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.
它们一直在进化 一边孤独地捕食 一边不停躲避天敌的追捕 时至今日,猫仍然保留了许多本能 使他们在野外存活了几百万年的本能。 这是一些看来奇怪的行为的解释。 对它们来说,我们的家是它们的丛林。 如果是这样,在猫的眼里, 我们是什么? 是和它们争抢资源的没毛傻大个? 还是它们能轻松应对的愚蠢捕食者? 甚至也许它们认为我们是它们的猎物