Why cats show you their belly

猫咪为什么会露肚皮

When a dog rolls over and shows you his belly, it's often because he wants attention. There's a good chance he's asking you to rub or scratch his tummy. So naturally, when a cat does this same behavior, people assume it's for the same reason.

当一只狗翻身向你露肚皮时，通常是因为它想引起你的注意，很有可能他想你给它挠挠肚子。因此，自然而然，当一只猫做出同样的行为时，大家以为原因是一样的。

But that's not true. When a cat shows her belly, it's away to communicate one of four things. You'll likely know which mood your cat is expressing by reading other behavior signals.

但事实并非如此。当一只猫露肚皮时，是想传达四种情绪之一。通过阅读其他的行为信号，你就很可能知道你的猫在表达什么情绪。

1. She's relaxed and trusts you a lot. If she's relaxed, she may purr or rub up against you. She be sleeping and may show you her belly as she stretches or changes positions.

1.她很放松，非常信任你。如果她很放松，她可能会发出咕噜的声音或往你身上蹭。在睡觉过程中，她可能会在伸展或改变姿势时向你露肚皮。

2. She's playing. Relaxed also can mean playful. For example, she may go belly-up to have allof her paws free to bat at her favorite toy.

2.她正在玩耍。放松也意味着玩乐。例如，她可能露出肚皮，以便她所有的爪子都能拍打她最喜欢的玩具。

3. She's feeling defensive. Turning over on her back gets her best weapons out front: the teeth and all of her claws. You'll be able to tell if your cat is upset — she may flatten her ears or make growling or hissing noises.

3.她感觉需要防守。转过身，把她最好的武器——牙齿和她所有的爪子摆在前面。你能看出你的猫是否生气了——它可能会竖起耳朵，发出咆哮或嘶嘶声。

4. She's in heat. If you have a female cat who hasn't been spayed, this may be mating behavior. It's a sign of affection to a potential mate. It's probably best to leave her alone until it passes.

4.她正在发情。如果你的母猫没有绝育，这可能是发情的行为。这是对潜在伴侣表达爱意的信号。这时最好留她在一边，直到度过发情期。

重点单词

communicate    [kə'mju:nikeit]   

v. 交流，传达，沟通

playful    ['pleifəl]   

adj. 爱玩耍的，幽默的

relaxed    [ri'lækst]   

adj. 放松的， 松懈的，随意的 relax的过去式

assume    [ə'sju:m]   

vt. 假定，设想，承担; (想当然的)认为

flatten    ['flætn]   

v. 变单调，变平，打倒

potential    [pə'tenʃəl]   

adj. 可能的，潜在的

n. 潜力，潜能

mate    [meit]   

n. 伙伴，配偶，同事

vt. 使 ... 配

affection    [ə'fekʃən]   

n. 慈爱，喜爱，感情，影响

upset    [ʌp'set]   

adj. 心烦的，苦恼的，不安的