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But what kind of cat will they become?
但它们会变成什么样的猫呢？
One possibility is that the cats of the future will be larger than today's felines.
一种可能性是，未来的猫科动物将比今天的猫科动物更大。
Continued contact with humans may also help cats grow friendlier.
持续与人类接触也可能有助于猫咪变得更友善。
By nature, cats tend to be more solitary and standoffish than dogs, which have a long evolutionary history as pack animals rather than lone hunters.
从本质上来说，猫比狗更孤独、更冷漠，而狗作为群居动物而不是孤独的猎人有着悠久的进化历史。
Ongoing contact with humans may have helped give friendlier cats a survival advantage, making them more likely to pass on more sociable genes to their offspring.
与人类的持续接触可能有助于让更友善的猫获得生存优势，使它们更有可能将更善于交际的基因传递给后代。
Over time, this might have helped create a more relaxed pet -- without ruining one of the most endearing parts of living with a cat: that when your kitty cuddles, you know it's for real.
随着时间的推移，这可能有助于创造出一种更放松的宠物，而不会破坏与猫一起生活的最可爱的部分之一：当你的小猫拥抱时，你知道它是真的。
When scientists compared the social behaviors and personalities of domestic cats with clouded leopards, snow leopards, African lions, and Scottish wildcats, they found that house cats weren't exactly suited for group living.
当科学家将家猫与云豹、雪豹、非洲狮和苏格兰野猫的社会行为和性格进行比较时，他们发现家猫并不完全适合群体生活。
They tended to be domineering, neurotic, and impulsive -- not exactly the traits you want in a friend.
他们往往专横、神经质、冲动--这不是你想要的朋友的特质。
However, the personalities of house cats were most like those of the more sociable African lion, which has figured out a way to live in groups.
然而，家猫的性格最像更善于交际的非洲狮，它们已经找到了群体生活的方式。
This suggests that cats have the raw material to adapt to a more sociable future.
这显示猫有能力适应更社交的未来。
And though large cat colonies may not be the same as lion prides, lions do show that cats can live side by side when the circumstances are right.
尽管大型猫科动物群体可能与狮群不同，但狮子确实表明，在适当的情况下，猫科动物可以并肩生活。
As humans spend more time learning about cat psychology and behavior, this effort creates an opportunity to improve our relationship.
随着人类花更多时间了解猫的心理和行为，这种努力创造了改善我们关系的机会。
By understanding what makes cats tick -- what motivates them, what makes them happy, what they can and can't tolerate -- we can ensure that our cats have the best lives possible.
通过了解猫的动力--是什么激励它们，什么让它们快乐，它们能忍受什么和不能忍受什么--我们可以确保我们的猫拥有最好的生活。
