欢迎新的猫咪进家门的重要指南

 　　为新猫咪做准备

　　Take a good, hard look around your house. You might think that there is nothing dangerous for Kitty to go sticking her nose into, but you would be wrong. Everyone knows that cats are instinctually curious. Places humans overlook out of routine can pose some troubles for felines¹, especially kittens.

　　仔细努力观察你的房子。你或许认为猫咪碰伤自己鼻子的风险在你房子里面是没有的，但是你可能错了。每个人都知道猫咪的直觉非常敏感。人类日常居住的地方忽视的小地方会对猫科动物造成某种麻烦，尤其是小猫咪。

　　Cat-proofing

　　做好防护猫咪的措施

　　This is like what you have to do for a toddler when they first start crawling. Get on your hands and knees then scan the spacing between furniture, objects that could come tumbling down or get jumped on and yanked loose, bundles of wires and other cords. You don’t want a scared cat to get cozy² inside the sofa or knocking down something that could traumatize him inside an enclosed space.

　　这就像当婴儿第一次开始爬的时候需要做的事情。趴在地上，然后看一下家具、物体之间的空隙，这些都可能会倒塌或者掉下来，突然被拉松，以及一捆电线和其他绳子等。你不想你的猫咪被吓到，想要让它在沙发里面舒服的待着，不想让它破坏什么东西，这都有可能让他在封闭的空间里面受到伤害。

　　High traffic versus³ Low traffic areas

　　高活动量和低活动量的区域

　　One of the best places for a cat is an unused room that is away from places like the kitchen and living room, where people tend to gather and make noise. The first few days present a lot of new sounds that Kitty might not be used to. Let your new addition unwind in someplace small, like a walk-in closet or spare bathroom. The same rule applies to where the litterbox and feeding station should be placed.

　　最适合猫咪的地方就是不用的房间，而且距离厨房和卧室比较远的地方，因为厨房和卧室是人来人往，嘈杂的地方。刚到的几天猫咪或许不太适应房子里面许多新的声音。让你的小东西在某个小的地方彻底放松，比如更衣室或者空闲的浴室。同样的规则也适用于猫咪的小窝和进食的地方。

　　Plant life

　　植物的生命

　　Another thing to be careful of is plant life that is potentially poisonous to cats. Be wary⁴ of the following:

　　另外需要注意的事情就是植物可能对猫咪有潜在的中毒危险，要小心以下这些植物：

　　Aloe vera

　　芦荟

　　Lilies

　　百合

　　Asparagus and all variants⁵

　　芦笋和其他变体植物

　　Rhododendrons

　　杜鹃

　　Baby’s breath

　　满天星

　　Begonia

　　秋海棠

　　Ivy⁶

　　常春藤

　　Carnations⁷

　　康乃馨

　　Chinese Jade⁸

　　中国玉

　　Coleus

　　薄荷类植物

　　Dracaena (Lucky Bamboo)

　　龙血树植物（富贵竹）

　　Hemp⁹ (and Marijuana)

　　大麻类植物（大麻）

　　Poinsettia

　　一品红

　　Yucca

　　丝兰

　　Now, that is not to say your new cat will immediately begin chomping¹⁰ on these poisonous leaves. I have had cats for as long as I have had lucky bamboo and hosta. Never had a problem.

　　现在，这并不是说你的新猫咪会马上咬这些有毒的叶子。我养富贵竹和玉簪花的时间和养猫咪的时间一样长。而且从未出现过问题。

　　However, cats that love to chew and are looking for greens might be tempted¹¹ to try these plants. Make sure you keep them out of reach while also providing friendly options like catnip, lemongrass, and mint.

　　然而，猫咪喜欢咀嚼，寻找绿色的植物，因为试着咬这些植物对猫咪的诱惑很大。要保证猫咪够不到这些植物，同时也要提供一些适合猫咪的植物，比如猫薄荷，柠檬草和薄荷。

1 felines   

n.猫科动物( feline的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Any of several felines, such as the cheetah or the snow leopard. 这片地区是濒临灭绝的雪豹的栖息地。 来自互联网
• Search in the basket of life, you will find it, answered Felines. 它在生命的篮子里＂巴思特女神回答道。 来自互联网

2 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

3 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

4 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

5 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

6 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

7 carnations   

n.麝香石竹，康乃馨( carnation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You should also include some carnations to emphasize your underlying meaning.\" 另外要配上石竹花来加重这涵意的力量。” 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• Five men per ha. were required for rose production, 6 or 7 men for carnations. 种植玫瑰每公顷需5个男劳力，香石竹需6、7个男劳力。 来自辞典例句

8 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

9 hemp   

n.大麻；纤维

参考例句：

• The early Chinese built suspension bridges of hemp rope.古代的中国人建造过麻绳悬索桥。
• The blanket was woven from hemp and embroidered with wool.毯子是由亚麻编织，羊毛镶边的。

10 chomping   

v.切齿，格格地咬牙，咬响牙齿( chomp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Elizabeth and Lawrence are chomping at the bit to go on vacation. 伊莉莎白和劳伦斯迫不及待要去度假了。 来自互联网
• She was chomping away on a bagel. 她在嘎蹦嘎嘣地啃着一个硬面包圈。 来自互联网

11 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。