第86章 猫和人类的互动很重要

Your Cat Might Not Be Ignoring You When You Speak

你讲话时，你的猫可能并没有无视你

By Anthony Ham

A study by French researchers that was published last month in the journal Animal Cognition found that not only do cats react to what scientists call cat-directed speech— a high-pitched voice similar to how we talk to babies— they react to who is doing the talking.

上个月，法国研究员在《动物认知》上发表的一项研究发现，猫不仅会对科学家所说的“猫导向语言”（类似我们对婴儿说话时常用的高音）做出反应，而且它们还会对说话人予以回应。

Unlike with dogs， cat behavior is difficult to study， which is part of why humans understand them less. Cats are often so stressed by being in a lab that meaningful behavioral observations bee impossible.

猫与狗不同的是，它们的行为很难研究，这也在一定程度上解释了为什么人类对猫的了解相对较少。猫待在实验室里通常会压力过大，导致研究员无法对它们进行有意义的行为研究。

So the researchers for the latest study went to the cats' homes and played recordings of different types of speech and different speakers.

因此，这项最新研究的研究人员去了猫的家里，并且给它们播放了不同类型的讲话与不同讲话人的录音。

The findings showed that“cats are paying close attention to their caretakers， down to not only what they are saying， but how they are saying it，“ said Kristyn Vitale， an assistant professor of animal health and behavior at Unity College in Maine who was not involved in the new study.

缅因州联合学院动物健康及行为研究助理教授克里斯汀·维塔莱（Kristyn Vitale）尽管没有参与这项新研究，但她也指出，上述研究的结果表明，“猫会密切关注它们的饲养者，不仅会关注对方说话的内容，还会关注对方说话的方式。”

The new study plements Dr. Vitale's own research into relationships between a cat and its owner. This relationship is so important， Dr. Vitale's research has found， that it replicates the connection between a kitten and its mother.“It is possible that attachment behaviors originally intended for interactions with their mother have now been modified for interactions with their new caretakers， humans.“

这项新研究也进一步补充了维塔莱博士自己关于猫和主人关系的研究。维塔莱博士的研究发现，猫与主人之间的关系非常重要，它复制了小猫和猫妈妈之间的联系。“小猫原本与猫妈妈产生互动的依恋行为，很有可能转变成与它们新的监护人——人类之间的互动。”

Now， those who are convinced of the perfidy of cats won't like the answers that are emerging.

这样一来，如果有人坚信猫是背信弃义的生物，他们就不会想听到这些正在浮出水面的新结论。

Cats don't hate us after all， Dr. Vitale said， adding that“a growing body of work supports the idea that social interaction with humans is key in the life of a cat.“

维塔莱博士指出，猫根本不讨厌人类。并且她还补充说：“越来越多的研究都在支持一个观点，那就是在猫的生活中，与人类之间的社交互动是极为重要的。”