咬人的猫

“撸猫”，也就是爱抚猫猫、与它们玩耍，是很多爱猫人士热衷的行为。

不过，猫主子们的脾气真的很难捉摸，和他们玩耍的过程中，它们时常会突然咬住你的手，还是很痛的啊喂！

那么，为啥我们和猫玩得正开心的时候，它会突然反咬一口呢？一起来看接下来的这篇科普文章吧！

No matter what the animal psychologists, behaviorists, veterinarians（n. 兽医）, and crazy cat ladies try to tell you, there is one simple, immutable（adj. 不变的） truth about cats: They're weird. Okay, they're also soft and fluffy, but they're mostly just weird. 

别管那些动物心理学家、行为学家、兽医以及那些疯狂迷恋猫猫的女人告诉你什么，关于猫有一个简单而不可改变的事实：它们很奇怪。好吧，它们确实是那么地柔软、毛茸茸，但猫猫们大多数真的很奇怪。

Just when you finally think you understand your cat, he or she will attack your ankles or decide the cat food you've been buying for the last six years suddenly isn't good enough anymore, and will you please take all 36 cans you just bought three days ago back to Petco（一家宠物超市） and exchange it for something else, thank you.

当你终于觉得你已经足够了解你的猫时，他（她）还是会攻击你的脚踝或者突然觉得你过去六年来一直买给他（她）的猫粮突然不够好了，“请你把三天前买的全部36盒罐头全拿到Petco退掉并且换个其他口味的，多谢啦。”

So does anyone really know why cats do the things they do? Not really, but veterinarians like to at least make educated guesses（有根据的猜测）. And one of the biggest burning questions（急待解决的问题） about cat behavior is this one: How come sometimes your cat turns into a soft and fluffy version of the Incredible Hulk when you're in the middle of what you thought was a bonding moment?

那么，真的有人知道为什么猫猫们会做这些事情吗？虽说不完全是，但兽医们喜欢至少是有根据的猜测。而一个关于猫猫们的最迫切的问题是：为什么有时候，在你以为正在和猫主子亲密互动的时候，它会突然变成柔软毛茸茸版的“绿巨人”？

vets have a much more sociopathic（adj. 反社会的） moniker（n. 绰号；名字） for the behavior: "petting-induced aggression." Signs of petting-induced aggression include biting while being petted（被爱抚）, and staring evilly at sleeping humans from dark corners of the room.

兽医们给这种行为起了一个更加反社会的绰号:“爱抚引发的攻击性”。这种爱抚引发的攻击性的发作迹象包括：被抚摸时咬人，以及从房间的某个黑暗角落诡异地盯着睡着的铲屎官（猫的主人）。

Petting-induced aggression differs from flat-out unfriendly behavior — some cats just don't like to be petted at all, and will take a swipe at you if you try. 

爱抚引发的攻击性行为并不是那种完全不友好的行为——因为有些猫就是不喜欢被抚摸，如果你胆敢一试，它们就会打你一拳。

There are a few theories about why some cats might do this. Kitty might be getting a small taste so she'll know what spices to add to the pot after she finally gets around to murdering you in your sleep. That one isn't generally accepted by veterinary professionals, though. 

关于猫的这种（突然反咬一口）的行为，有很多种理论解释。比如猫猫们也许是在尝尝你的味道，这样的话等她在你睡觉时杀了你之后，就知道该往锅里放什么调料了。然而这一观点并没有被专业兽医人士普遍接受。

Really, she may be trying to control the situation. The ancestor of the modern house cat was probably a solitary（adj. 孤独的；独居的） animal, so the whole social hierarchy（n. 层级；等级制度） thing is still pretty new to her. Your cat may reach a point during that moment of shared affection where she thinks, "I can't let this person think I'm actually domesticated or anything, I'd better just bite him."

讲真的，她可能是想控制局面。现代家猫的祖先很有可能是独居动物，所以人类的整个社会等级制度对她来说还是很新鲜的。你的猫可能会在与你亲近的那一刻想：“我不能让这个人认为我是被驯养的，我最好还是咬一下他。”

That might not explain all petting-induced aggression, though. Another theory is that some cats might actually experience prolonged（adj. 延长的；拖延的；持续很久的 ）petting negatively, and the biting is a reaction to that. It could be that petting actually starts to feel physically irritating to the cat when it's overdone. So maybe it literally just rubs the cat the wrong way.

然而，这种说法也许不能解释所有的爱抚引发的攻击性。另一种理论认为，有些猫实际上可能经历了长时间的消极抚摸，因此他们才会做出咬人的反应。这可能是因为当爱抚过度时，猫感到了身体不适。所以也许只是我们撸猫时用了错误的方式。

Biting could also happen when a cat gets excited and decides the petting session should turn into playtime. Cats are predators（食肉动物，捕食者）, after all, and they hone（锻炼，打磨） their hunting skills by batting Legos around on the floor, ambushing your ankles when you're on your way to the bathroom late at night, and possibly by biting you while you're trying to show affection. So if your particular brand of petting leans a little on the aggressive side, your cat could just be responding to that in a totally natural way.

还有，当猫兴奋起来并决定把爱抚行为变成玩耍时，同样会咬人。毕竟，猫是捕食者，它们会在扑倒地板上的乐高积木，在你深夜去洗手间时伏击你的脚踝，还可能在你想表达爱意的时候咬你，以此来磨练自己的捕猎技能。所以，如果你的宠物有点攻击性，这可能只是一种完全自然的回应方式。

Wear boot slippers and make sure your spices are locked up. It's the only way to be sure that petting-induced aggression doesn't evolve into something much, much more sinister.

所以你要穿上靴子样式的拖鞋，并确保香料都锁好了（以防猫猫哪天真的把你炖了）。这是唯一能确保爱抚引发的攻击性不会发展成更邪恶的东西的方法。

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