Britain's gardeners have revealed one of their greatest pet hates - other people's cats. Okay, they're sadistic¹ murderers - but is it fair that cats have been rated as being as detestable as rats in a poll of British gardeners?

A new survey in the UK indicates that cats come second only to rats as the least favourite mammal to visit our gardens. The UK's 10 million cats have had it rough of late, drawing harsh criticism because of their bloodlust and habit of viewing the nation's gardens as their own personal toilets.

Though the animals are the UK's favourite pets, British gardeners have struck back by crowning the cat as one of the most unwelcome visitors to their plots - voting them only slightly more popular than rats in the new poll.

The Mammal Society - which conducted the survey - says cats cut a swathe through the nation's wildlife, killing² around 300 million animals every year.

Predatory instincts

"Cats are solitary³ predatory hunters. People ask why they kill when they are clearly well-fed - but a cat's motivation to hunt is quite separate from its desire to satisfy hunger." Even with a full stomach, a cat cannot resist the stimuli⁴ of prey⁵ passing nearby, says Ms Heath, author of Why Does My Cat? "It doesn't make sense for a cat to wait until it's hungry to catch food - there may be none around then. Better to hunt when there's the opportunity and hide the food away."

'Sick of cats'

A BBC television series has raised the question of whether cats should be kept indoors at night. Wildlife experts say keeping cats locked up from dusk to dawn will prevent much of the carnage they create, and will also mean they are less likely to be run over. Mammal expert Professor Steve Harris, from Bristol University, said: "The message is clear, most people are heartily⁶ sick of having their neighbours' cats in their garden".

Saved by the bell?

Owners who have resorted to collar bells to warn prey may have underestimated feline⁷ guile⁸. "Some cats have learned to hold their heads to minimise noise coming from the bells around their necks. Perhaps we need to admire this skill, rather than get paranoid about it."

Even today, some view the black cat as an omen⁹ of misfortune. Even the English language is stacked against the moggy. Spiteful people are dubbed¹⁰ as being "catty". A raucous¹¹ cry is a "caterwaul". At work, a greedy, lazy boss is a "fat cat".

But, to be fair, the British can't hate cats that much. A recent report found that the generosity¹² of the British towards the cat has caused one in four of the creatures to become clinically obese¹³.

　　英国的园丁们表示他们最讨厌的宠物之一就是别人养的猫。没错，猫是残忍的杀手，但是在对英国园丁们进行的一项民意调查中，猫已经被认为是和老鼠一样令人厌恶的东西，这样公平吗？

　　英国进行的一项新的调查显示：猫是花园中仅次于老鼠的最不受欢迎的动物。英国的一千万只猫最近日子不好过，遭到了严厉的批判，因为它们捕杀成性，而且习惯于将花园作为私人厕所。

　　尽管动物在英国是最受欢迎的宠物，英国的园丁们已经发出反击，给猫冠以最不受欢迎访客的头衔——在新的民意调查中它们仅比老鼠略微受欢迎一点。

　　主持此次调查的哺乳动物协会说，猫肆意破坏国家的野生动植物，每年残杀大约3亿只动物。

　　掠杀是猫的本性

　　“猫是独来独往的捕猎动物。有人问为什么它们明明吃饱了还要杀害别的动物呢？--猫猎杀的动机与其满足胃口的欲望是不相关的。”即使当它很饱的时候，猫也无法抵抗捕杀身边经过的猎物的刺激，《猫为什么会这样做？》一书的作者希斯女士说，“对于猫来说，等到饿了才去捕捉猎物是没有意义的，那时也许在它身边压根就找不到食物。最好是一有机会就动手，然后把食物藏起来以备不时之需。”

　　猫令人生厌

　　英国广播公司的一部电视系列片提出了这样的问题：晚上是否应该把猫关在家里。野生动物专家说从黄昏到黎明一直将猫锁在家里可以防止它们屠杀生灵，同时也减少了它们被车压死的可能。布里斯托尔大学的哺乳动物学专家史蒂夫·哈里斯教授说：“很明显，大多数人非常讨厌在自家的花园中发现邻居家的猫。”

　　铃铛能管用吗？

　　猫的主人们给猫系上项圈铃铛希望能够提醒动物，但是他们也许低估了猫的狡诈。“有些猫已经学会将头保持不动，将脖子上铃铛发出的声音降到最低。也许我们应该欣赏这种技能，而不是疑神疑鬼。”

　　即使现在，还有一些人将黑猫视为不祥的征兆。英语中甚至充满了各种贬低猫的词语：恶毒的人被称为“像猫一样阴险狡猾”；沙哑的叫声被说成是“猫叫”；在工作中，贪婪而懒惰的老板被称为“肥猫”。

　　然而，公平的说，英国人并不是那么憎恨猫。最近的一个报告发现英国人对猫的慷慨导致每四只猫中就有一只极端肥胖。

上一篇：左撇子女性更易患乳腺癌 下一篇：生在秋天比春天活得长？