為什么貓咪都喜歡按摩?

Kneading is a weird cat quirk. They look like they’re in a trance as they lift one paw, then the other, again and again on a soft surface. But why do cats knead at all?

按摩是貓的一個(gè)怪癖，看起來(lái)好像它們很入神，先抬起一只爪，再抬起另外一只爪，在柔軟的表面上如此重復(fù)。但貓咪究竟為什么會(huì)按摩呢?

First off, not all cats knead, and they don’t all knead in the same way. Most cats only use their front paws, but some use all four; some kitties bring their claws out, and others don’t. A cat kneading at your lap might hurt, but your kitty doesn’t have any bad intentions.

首先，不是所有的貓都按摩，按摩方式也不盡相同。大多數(shù)貓咪只用前爪，但有些也四只爪子一起用。有些貓會(huì)伸出爪尖，但別的貓就不會(huì)。貓咪在你大腿上按摩可能會(huì)疼，但絕對(duì)沒(méi)有惡意。

Even when they’re too young for their eyes to open, kittens need to knead. Nursing kitties push around when suckling to get their mother’s glands to release more milk. No one is totally sure why the habit lasts through adulthood, but there are a few theories to answer the question of why do cats knead.

貓咪甚至在很小眼睛還睜不開(kāi)的時(shí)候就需要按摩了。還在吃奶的小貓會(huì)按壓以刺激母親的乳腺分泌更多奶水。誰(shuí)都不能完全確定為什么這一習(xí)慣會(huì)延續(xù)到成年，但有一些理論可以回答為什么貓會(huì)按摩。

For one thing, because felines grow up associating kneading with the comfort of Mama Cat and her milk, the habit might be soothing. Like a kid sucking a thumb, it’s a calming thing. A lot of cats have their eyes closed and look like they’re completely zenned out.

首先，因?yàn)殡S著貓科動(dòng)物長(zhǎng)大會(huì)把按摩同媽媽和奶水的安慰聯(lián)系起來(lái)，這種習(xí)慣可能有安撫作用。就像小孩吸吮拇指一樣能讓他們安靜。很多貓都會(huì)閉著眼睛，好像完全沉浸其中。

Another theory is that cats knead to mark their territory. Cats have scent glands in two places: their faces and paws. When felines rub their faces against the furniture, they’re leaving their scent—and same goes for kneading. Paws are the only places where cats sweat, which means rubbing them against something leaves that smell.

另外一種說(shuō)法就是貓按摩是為了占地盤(pán)。貓兩個(gè)部位有臭腺：臉和爪子。貓科動(dòng)物在家具上蹭臉時(shí)是在留氣味，按摩也一樣。爪子是貓唯一出汗的部位，所以在其他東西上摩擦爪子就能留下氣味。

Others think kneading might span back to housecats’ ancestors. Wild cats didn’t have the soft blanket that your domestic kitty might love, so they had to make the ground as comfy as possible. Pushing at the grass might have helped soften it up.

其他人認(rèn)為按摩行為可以追溯到家貓的祖先。野貓沒(méi)有你家里養(yǎng)的貓咪最?lèi)?ài)的柔軟毯子，所以他們要盡可能把地面弄得舒服一點(diǎn)。按壓草可能有助于讓其變得松軟。

If you’re a cat owner, you may not be wondering “Why do cats knead?” so much as “How can I get my cat to stop kneading?” However, kneading makes cats happy, so you should never stop your pet from doing its thing;just keep its claws short.

如果你養(yǎng)貓，你可能考慮更多的不是“為什么貓要按摩?”，而是“我怎么能讓它不再按摩?”然而，按摩能使貓開(kāi)心，所以你不該阻止它這樣做，只要把爪子剪短就可以了。