# 13 The Personality of a Cat

Cats are very smart. They are one of the smartest of all tame animals. The brain of a cat is large. It is highly developed. This may be why cats have good memories. Cats remember kindness and cruelty. It is a good idea to treat a cat well. Cats can "speak" too. They meow for attention. Often they stand by a door. Then they meow. Then they look over their shoulders. They want to see if you are coming. Cats make other noises also. They purr when they are happy. They hiss when they are angry.

Cats have a lot of pride. They usually will not do silly tricks. They seem to know what is beneath them. Almost all cats want to have their own way. They are mostly true to only one person—if to anyone. They don't switch loyalty easily. Cats were free in the wild. They want to stay that way. They like to be their own masters. When a cat is left alone, it can go back to caring for itself. It can live in the wild again. This is different from dogs. Dogs will switch their loyalty. At one time dogs were loyal to the leaders of packs. Now, they will transfer allegiance to their owner. They do not like to be alone.

With kindness, a cat can be trained. Cats can learn to do many things. Some cats can learn to open doors. Some can ring doorbells. Some can even turn on water. Then they take a drink. Cats are very smart, though. Here is what they do before drinking. They put a paw in the water. They test whether the water is hot or cold.

# 13 貓的個性

貓非常聰明。牠們是所有馴養動物中最聰明的之一。貓的大腦很大。高度發達。這可能是貓記憶力好的原因。貓記得善意和殘酷。善待貓是個好主意。貓也會「說話」。牠們喵喵叫以引起注意。牠們經常站在門邊。然後牠們喵喵叫。然後牠們回頭看。牠們想看看你是否過來。貓也會發出其他聲音。牠們高興時會發出呼嚕聲。生氣時會發出嘶嘶聲。

貓很有自尊。牠們通常不會做愚蠢的把戲。牠們似乎知道什麼有失身份。幾乎所有的貓都想我行我素。牠們大多只忠於一個人——如果牠們忠於任何人的話。牠們不會輕易改變忠誠。貓在野外是自由的。牠們希望保持這種狀態。牠們喜歡做自己的主人。當貓獨處時，牠可以重新照顧自己。牠可以再次在野外生活。這與狗不同。狗會轉移牠們的忠誠。狗曾經忠於群體的首領。現在，牠們會將忠誠轉移給主人。牠們不喜歡獨處。

用善意的方式，貓可以被訓練。貓可以學會做很多事情。有些貓可以學會開門。有些可以按門鈴。有些甚至可以打開水龍頭。然後喝水。不過貓非常聰明。這是牠們喝水前會做的事。牠們把爪子放進水裡。測試水是熱還是冷。