為什麼貓咪的動作那麼奇怪？Why do cats act so weird? - Tony Buffington （中英對照）

由於牠們獨特的肌肉構造與絕佳的平衡感，貓咪可以爬到高處有利點，瞭望牠們的領土和找到野外的獵物，家貓無須用到這些特殊技巧去搜尋及追捕今天餐盤裡的晚餐，然而本能地從書架上瞭望整個客廳，這正是牠演化獲得的能力。作為野外掠食者，只要有機會貓咪隨時準備獵捕食物，由於大部分的獵物都很小，野貓每天都要進食很多次，並使用潛近、猛撲、獵殺、吃掉的策略以獲得食物。這就是為什麼貓喜歡追逐、猛撲小玩具，每天少量多餐的原因。同時，野外獵物喜歡躲藏在狹小的空間內，因而一種解釋關於貓躲在容器及空隙裡的習性，是被相同的好奇心所驅使，這好奇心使貓咪得以延續幾百萬年。

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. 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.

在野外，貓咪需要磨利爪子以便攀爬、獵捕和自我防衛，在附近物體表面上磨利爪子，讓自己隨時準備就緒、協助伸展牠們背部與腿部的肌肉，同時也釋放壓力，所以，貓貓並不是討厭你的沙發、椅子、軟墊座椅、枕頭、窗簾....以及在牠四周所放的任何物品牠把那些東西抓成碎屑，只是為了維持爪子鋒利，因為這正是其祖先為了生存而做的事，身為在野外被獵捕的動物，貓咪演化出不易被捕捉的技能。在野外，最善於躲避天敵的貓咪才能茁壯成長。

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. 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.