你家喵星人正在模仿你

It’s a common belief that over time pet owners start to look like their animals. Now comes the terrifying news that cats look up to their owners as role models and mimic their behavior.

In a new study from the University of Messina， it turns out that cats who live with their owners “mirror” the living habbits. They sleep at the same time， eat at the same time， and can even become more or less social depending on the behavior of their owners.

“Cats are smart animals with a long memory，” Jane Brunt， a veterinarian， said. “They watch and learn from us. They know where their food is kept and what time to expect to be fed， how to open the cupboard door that’s improperly closed， and where their feeding and toileting areas are.”

Because cats mimic our habits， if you spend a lot of time searching your fridge， your cat will return to its food bowl for that midnight snack， too. There’s no word if drinking green tea and making sure you go to Yoga will benefit your cat， but based on the study， it sounds like keeping a healthy eating and sleeping habit is best for both of you.

There’s a lot we can learn from our friends in return. “When they sit on our lap softly purring with rhythmic breathing and half-closed eyes， the sense of peace and calm comes over us，” Brant said.

So， according to science， even though we thought that cats were cold jerks all these years， it turns out they are in fact learning from us and looking up to us. Scary， huh？

人們普遍認為，時間久了寵物主人會變得越來越像自己的寵物。而現在卻有消息表示，喵星人竟能以主人為榜樣，模仿主人的一舉一動。

墨西拿大學一項新研究表明，與主人親密生活的喵星人會“模仿”主人的生活習慣。他們同寢共食，甚至主人們愛不愛社交生活，也會影響它們的行為。

獸醫簡·布朗特表示：“貓是很聰明的動物，記憶力很強。他們會觀察人類并向人類學習。它們知道食物放在哪里、什么時候可以吃飯、怎么打開不經意關閉的碗柜門，以及該在什么地方吃飯或便便。”

因為喵星人會模仿人類習慣，所以如果你經常翻騰冰箱，喵星人也可能半夜跑到食盆前吃上兩口。雖然并無證據表明主人喝綠茶或練瑜伽也能幫助喵星人，但根據研究，健康飲食和規律睡眠似乎對主人和喵星人都有益。

相反我們也能從喵星人身上學到很多。 布朗特說：“每次喵星人蹲在我們膝頭半瞇著眼睛打呼嚕時，我們心中的平靜和安寧便油然而生。”

所以，即便我們這些年來一直以為喵星人只是冷漠的小怪物，但根據科學闡釋，事實卻證明它們竟然一直在學習并模仿我們。是不是有點小嚇人？

Vocabulary

terrifying：可怕的。

mimic：模仿。

more or less：或多或少；大約。

expect to：期望，期待；希望。

benefit：使（人）受益。

base on：以……為基礎（根據）。

purr：貓發出咕嚕聲。

rhythmic：有韻律的，有節奏的。

according to：根據，按照；據……說。