Can Dogs and Cats Along？ 猫狗能否好好相处呢？

张默妍

If you have brothers and sisters， you know its completely natural for arguments to take place from time to time. OK...its completely natural for arguments to take place all the time！This doesnt mean you dont love each other， though. It just means you spend a lot of time together and its only natural to have disagreements. You may even hear parents say their kids “fight like cats and dogs.” “Fighting like cats and dogs” is a common phrase that people use to mean people argue， fight or dont get along. If you like cartoons， youve probably seen many that portray1 cats and dogs fighting like sworn enemies2. There have even been movies made that describe cats against dogs.

如果你有兄弟姐妹，你就會知道时不时的争吵是不可避免的。好吧……应该说兄弟姐妹之间的争吵随时都会发生！但是，吵嘴并不意味着你们不爱彼此。这只是意味着你们彼此相处的时间很长，因此有分歧也是很正常的。你甚至可以听到父母说他们的孩子“水火不容”。“水火不容”是人们常用的一个短语，意思是人们之间互相争论、吵架或相处不和睦。如果你喜欢卡通，你可能看到过很多描绘猫和狗像死敌一样争斗的故事片，甚至还有专门讲述猫与狗对抗的电影。

Are cats and dogs natural enemies that can never get along？ Or is there hope for a truce between the members of the feline3 and canine4 species？ If you observe cats and dogs or ask people who own both cats and dogs， you will get lots of opinions on the subject. Cats and dogs will obviously fight from time to time. There is no doubt that some dogs will chase cats and maybe even harm them if given the chance. However， people who own both dogs and cats will also tell you that they can easily be trained to get along. In fact， many will show you that dogs and cats can play together and even sleep curled up5 together. As with many questions in life， theres simply no easy answer to the question of whether dogs and cats can get along. Dogs and cats are different in many ways that can make it difficult for them to get along.

猫和狗是永远无法和睦相处的天敌吗？ 或者，猫科动物和犬科动物之间是否有休战的希望呢？ 如果你观察猫和狗，或者询问既养猫又养狗的人，你会得到很多关于这个问题的看法。显然猫和狗时不时就会斗上一斗。毫无疑问，有些狗会追逐猫，一有机会甚至还会伤害它们。然而，养狗和猫的人也会告诉你，驯服它们和平共处是一件很简单的事情。事实上，很多人会告诉你，狗和猫可以一起玩耍，甚至可以蜷缩在一起睡觉。就像生活中的许多问题一样，狗和猫能否和谐相处根本没有一个简单的答案。狗和猫在许多方面都是不同的，这使得它们很难和谐相处。

However， with patience and the right circumstances6， cats and dogs can be best friends. For example， dogs tend to be social animals that are naturally playful. Cats， on the other hand， tend to be more independent. A dog that wants to play might seem aggressive7 and intimidating8 to a cat. This may lead the cat to defend itself against an attack thats really just a desire to play. Likewise， dogs—especially puppies—like to chase each other. Its a fun game. Chasing cats can be just as fun as chasing other dogs...unless youre the cat， of course. Again， cats may interpret9 such playful behavior as a threat.

然而，如果加上耐心引导和合适的环境，猫和狗可以是最相亲相爱的好伙伴。例如，狗往往是天生喜欢嬉戏的群居动物。而另一方面，猫更喜欢独来独往。一只渴求玩耍的狗可能看起来很有攻击性，这对猫来说很吓人。这可能会导致猫咪防御“攻击”，而这“攻击”其实只是狗想寻求玩伴的表现。同樣地，狗——尤其是小狗——喜欢互相追逐。这是一个有趣的游戏。而追赶猫对它们来说和追赶别的狗一样有趣……虽然猫并不这么想。同样地，猫也会把这种顽皮的行为理解为一种威胁。

Even something dogs and cats have in common—tails—can make things confusing. When a dog wags10 its tail， its sending a friendly message： “Im happy. Lets play.” Cats， however， wag their tails when theyre angry. You can see how this might lead cats and dogs to become confused if theyre facing each other with wagging tails！Although dogs and cats arent really natural mortal enemies， dogs are hunters by nature. This means that they might hunt and chase anything that moves—including a cat. This natural behavior that could cause problems between dogs and cats can be controlled by special training—called socialization11—when the animals meet for the first time. Although there are many natural barriers12 to interaction13 between cats and dogs， it is possible for them to get along. It just takes time， patience and a desire for harmony. And even if they get along for a while， it doesnt mean that they wont fight from time to time—just like you and your brothers and sisters！

即使猫和狗有一个共同点——它们都有尾巴——也会让局面变得混乱。当一只狗摇尾巴时，这是它在发出友好的信息，表示：“我很高兴，让我们一起玩吧。”然而，猫生气的时候会摇尾巴。可想而知，当猫和狗四目相对，各自摇着自己尾巴的时候，这可能会让它们困惑。虽然狗和猫不是真正的天敌，但狗却是天生的猎手。这意味着他们可能会追捕任何移动的东西——包括猫。这种自然的行为可能会导致狗和猫之间出现问题，但是可以在它们第一次见面的时候通过特殊的训练，即社会化来控制。虽然猫和狗之间存在着许多天然的障碍影响它们之间的互动，但它们还是有可能和睦相处的。只是这需要时间、耐心和主人对于猫狗和谐的渴望。即使它们和平共处了一段时间，也并不意味着他们不会有争端——就像你和你的兄弟姐妹一样！

Notes：

1. portray v. 描述

2. sworn enemy天敌

3. feline n. 猫科动物

4. canine n. 犬科动物

5. curl up 蜷缩起来

6. circumstance n. 环境

7. aggressive adj. 有进取心的；侵略性的

8. intimidating adj. 吓人的

9. interpret v. 解释

10. wag v. 摇动

11. socialization n. 社会化

12. barrier n. 障碍

13. interaction n. 互动