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They're cute, they're furry and sometimes they like to bringyou dead birds or rodents. That's right, we're talking cats here.
可爱的，毛茸茸的，有时会给你捎来死去的小鸟和啮齿动物的小家伙—对啦，我说的就是猫咪。
The fact is that free-roaming house cats are taking a toll on our environment.
事实上整天在外头闲逛的家猫会对我们的环境造成很大损害。
Studies have shownthat even well-fed cats kill wildlife when given a chance.
研究表明若有机会，被喂养得很好的家猫也会猎杀野生动物。
Not only that, but a particularly skilled cat can kill up to one thousand animals per year.
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。
Even if your own cat isn't a finely honed terminator, with millions of cats on the loose all over theUnited States, even ten animals per cat adds up quickly.
好吧，你说你家的猫咪并不是个技术精湛的终结者。但当数百万只猫咪在美国各地游荡时，就算1只猫咪只杀死10只动物，累计的数量也将是非常惊人的。
What's more, only some of these kills are pests like rats and mice.
而且只有一部分被杀死的动物诸如耗子或是家鼠是有害的。
Others are native songbirds andmammals whose populations are already endangered by habitat loss and other environmentalfactors.
余下的受害者则是该地区那些因栖息地消失和其他环境因素已经濒临灭绝的鸣禽和其他哺乳动物。
Cats also hurt predators like hawks and weasels by beating them to their prey.
猫咪还会抢夺其他捕食者诸如老鹰和鼬鼠的食物，因而威胁到它们的生存。
This problem is exacerbated by the fact that people take pretty good care of their cats.
人们对猫咪的精心照料使得问题更加严重。
This means that predators, disease and competition for food don't keep the cat population in check.
这意味着天敌、疾病以及对食物的争夺都不会影响到猫咪的数量。
Cats are born hunters—they'll hunt for pleasure even if they're not hungry.
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获得乐趣而捕猎。
So what can you do to stop the carnage?
那么，你能做些什么来阻止一场屠戮呢？
Do what you can to keep your cats indoors, no matterhow wistfully they stare out the window.
首先，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。
Also, do your share to keep the feline population undercontrol by making sure to spay and neuter your pets.
此外，为你的猫咪做好节育工作，替猫咪数量的控制出一份力。
