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They’re cute， they’re furry and sometimes they like to bring you dead birds or rats. That’s right， we’re talking cats here.
The fact is that free-roaming1 house cats are dangerous to our environment. Studies have shown that even well-fed cats kill wildlife when given a chance. Not only that， but an especially skilled cat can kill up to one thousand animals per year.
Even if your own cat isn’t a skilled killer， with millions of cats on the loose2 all over the world， even ten animals per cat adds up quickly. What’s more， only some of these kills are pests like rats. Others are birds and mammals3.
Cats in the United States kill up to 3.7 billion birds every year and as many as 20 billion small mammals. Cats also hurt animals like hawks4 and weasels5 by stealing their food.
This problem is becoming more serious by the fact that people take pretty good care of their cats. This means that disease and competition for food don’t affect the cat population.
Cats are born hunters—they’ll hunt for pleasure even if they’re not hungry. So what can you do to stop them？
Do what you can to keep your cats indoors， no matter how wistfully6 they stare out the window. Also， do your share to keep the population under control.
Cats kill a lot of wild birds and other animals. And don’t other pets kills wild animals？
Yes， they do. In fact， after cats， one of the main killers harming wildlife is none other than man’s best friend—dogs.
And many cats roam free while dogs are either kept on leashes7 or in yards. So how can dogs possibly do as much damage as cats？
Well， in the United States， dogs don’t kill as many animals as cats. But consider that in many other countries dogs are not kept in yards. Experts estimate8 that around 75% of dogs around the world are free. And when they are free， they are also killers.
For example， in the 1980s researchers found that a single stray9 dog in New Zealand killed as many as 500 birds called Kiwis. In 2006， a small pack of stray dogs on Viwa Island in the South Pacific came close to wiping out a species10 of ground frog.
So， in fact， the point is not the killer cats or dogs but how human beings keep the balance of nature.
可爱的，毛茸茸的，有时会给你捎来死去的小鸟和老鼠的小家伙——對啦，我们正在谈论的就是猫咪。
事实上，整天在外头闲逛的家猫对我们的环境很危险。研究表明，若有机会，食物丰足的家猫也会猎杀野生动物。不仅如此，那些狩猎技术格外娴熟的猫咪甚至可以在一年里杀死多达一千只动物。
即便你家的猫咪并不是个技术精湛的杀手，但当数百万只猫咪在世界各地游荡时，就算一只猫咪只杀死十只动物，数量累积的速度也将非常快。而且只有一部分被杀死的动物，比如耗子，是有害的，余下的受害者则是鸟类和其他哺乳动物。
在美国，猫每年杀害37亿只鸟类和200亿只小型哺乳动物。猫咪还会抢夺其他动物，比如老鹰和鼬鼠的食物，威胁到它们的生存。
人们对猫咪的精心照料导致问题更加严重。这意味着疾病以及对食物的争夺都不会影响到猫咪的数量。
然而猫咪却是天生的猎食者——它们甚至会在食物充足的情况下为享受乐趣而捕猎。那么，你能做些什么来阻止它们呢？
无论猫咪望向窗外的眼神有多么充满渴望，你都要尽一切可能让它们呆在家里。此外，要控制好猫咪的数量。
猫会杀死许多野生鸟类和其它动物。但是其它宠物就不会杀害动物吗？
是的，其它宠物也会。事实上，紧随猫之后，杀死其它野生动物的主犯正是人类最好的朋友——狗。
许多猫行动自由，而狗却被拴着或是关在院子中。这样，狗为什么能与猫造成同样大的破坏呢？
在美国，狗杀死的动物没有猫杀的多。但在其他许多国家，狗没有被圈养在院子里。专家们估计全球大约75%的狗是自由的。一旦行动自由，狗也是杀手。
比如，在20世纪80年代，研究人员发现在新西兰一只流浪狗杀害了多达500只名为几维的鸟。2006年，在南太平洋维瓦岛上，一小群流浪狗几乎让一种陆地蛙灭绝。
因此，实际上问题的关键不在于杀手猫咪或者狗，而在于人类如何保持自然的平衡。
The fact is that free-roaming1 house cats are dangerous to our environment. Studies have shown that even well-fed cats kill wildlife when given a chance. Not only that， but an especially skilled cat can kill up to one thousand animals per year.
Even if your own cat isn’t a skilled killer， with millions of cats on the loose2 all over the world， even ten animals per cat adds up quickly. What’s more， only some of these kills are pests like rats. Others are birds and mammals3.
Cats in the United States kill up to 3.7 billion birds every year and as many as 20 billion small mammals. Cats also hurt animals like hawks4 and weasels5 by stealing their food.
This problem is becoming more serious by the fact that people take pretty good care of their cats. This means that disease and competition for food don’t affect the cat population.
Cats are born hunters—they’ll hunt for pleasure even if they’re not hungry. So what can you do to stop them？
Do what you can to keep your cats indoors， no matter how wistfully6 they stare out the window. Also， do your share to keep the population under control.
Cats kill a lot of wild birds and other animals. And don’t other pets kills wild animals？
Yes， they do. In fact， after cats， one of the main killers harming wildlife is none other than man’s best friend—dogs.
And many cats roam free while dogs are either kept on leashes7 or in yards. So how can dogs possibly do as much damage as cats？
Well， in the United States， dogs don’t kill as many animals as cats. But consider that in many other countries dogs are not kept in yards. Experts estimate8 that around 75% of dogs around the world are free. And when they are free， they are also killers.
For example， in the 1980s researchers found that a single stray9 dog in New Zealand killed as many as 500 birds called Kiwis. In 2006， a small pack of stray dogs on Viwa Island in the South Pacific came close to wiping out a species10 of ground frog.
So， in fact， the point is not the killer cats or dogs but how human beings keep the balance of nature.
可爱的，毛茸茸的，有时会给你捎来死去的小鸟和老鼠的小家伙——對啦，我们正在谈论的就是猫咪。
事实上，整天在外头闲逛的家猫对我们的环境很危险。研究表明，若有机会，食物丰足的家猫也会猎杀野生动物。不仅如此，那些狩猎技术格外娴熟的猫咪甚至可以在一年里杀死多达一千只动物。
即便你家的猫咪并不是个技术精湛的杀手，但当数百万只猫咪在世界各地游荡时，就算一只猫咪只杀死十只动物，数量累积的速度也将非常快。而且只有一部分被杀死的动物，比如耗子，是有害的，余下的受害者则是鸟类和其他哺乳动物。
在美国，猫每年杀害37亿只鸟类和200亿只小型哺乳动物。猫咪还会抢夺其他动物，比如老鹰和鼬鼠的食物，威胁到它们的生存。
人们对猫咪的精心照料导致问题更加严重。这意味着疾病以及对食物的争夺都不会影响到猫咪的数量。
然而猫咪却是天生的猎食者——它们甚至会在食物充足的情况下为享受乐趣而捕猎。那么，你能做些什么来阻止它们呢？
无论猫咪望向窗外的眼神有多么充满渴望，你都要尽一切可能让它们呆在家里。此外，要控制好猫咪的数量。
猫会杀死许多野生鸟类和其它动物。但是其它宠物就不会杀害动物吗？
是的，其它宠物也会。事实上，紧随猫之后，杀死其它野生动物的主犯正是人类最好的朋友——狗。
许多猫行动自由，而狗却被拴着或是关在院子中。这样，狗为什么能与猫造成同样大的破坏呢？
在美国，狗杀死的动物没有猫杀的多。但在其他许多国家，狗没有被圈养在院子里。专家们估计全球大约75%的狗是自由的。一旦行动自由，狗也是杀手。
比如，在20世纪80年代，研究人员发现在新西兰一只流浪狗杀害了多达500只名为几维的鸟。2006年，在南太平洋维瓦岛上，一小群流浪狗几乎让一种陆地蛙灭绝。
因此，实际上问题的关键不在于杀手猫咪或者狗，而在于人类如何保持自然的平衡。