譯者：yancanfly 原文作者：Jane McGrath
發布：2011-03-10 15:04:24
It can be hard to resist spoiling your beautiful feline friend with a special treat from the dinner table. But as wise cat owners know, many human foods can be unsafe for your cat because we have vastly different nutritional needs from them. Even some kinds of food your cat loves and begs for might wreak havoc on your lovable furball's digestive system.
你會出於喜愛而從飯桌上夾些食物給你的貓咪朋友，但是聰明的養貓者都知道，許多人類食物會對貓咪的健康產生威脅，因為畢竟人類與貓科動物的營養需求差異甚大。一些貓咪喜愛並渴求的食物很有可能會對小毛球的消化系統造成嚴重破壞。
We spoke with Dr. Elizabeth Colleran, President of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), who said that the list of foods you can never feed your cat is a lot smaller than most people think. Cats should never have onion, garlic, kelp, grapes or raisins, sugary treats, chocolate, and alcoholic or caffeinated drinks, even in small doses.
我們採訪了美國貓醫生協會（AAFP ）主席伊麗莎白卡羅蘭博士，她說貓咪絕不能吃的食物遠比大多數人想像的要少。像洋蔥、蒜頭、海帶、葡萄、甜食、巧克力以及那些含酒精或咖啡因的飲料就不能給貓吃，即便是一點點也不行。
However, you'll find many veterinary lists of dangerous foods are longer. The truth is, if you examine the fine print, some foods on these warning lists can be safe for your cat -- but only in small doses. And a good rule of thumb is that human food should not make up more than 15 percent of a cat's diet.
然而，你會發現許多獸醫列出的危險食物遠不止那些。事實是：如果你檢查一遍這張密密麻麻的小單子，你會發現其中的一些食物對貓咪來說是安全的——但前提是少量食用。按照常理，貓的飲食中人類食物所佔比例不得超過15 ％。
So, what foods can Fluffy eat safely off of the table?
那麼，飯桌上究竟有哪些食物貓咪們可以安全食用的呢？
1: Meat
1 、肉類
Because cats are carnivores, animal meat is one of the safest human foods to give a cat, which it why we rank it at No. 1. Cooked poultry is probably the best choice. Uncooked meat brings with it the same safety concerns as uncooked fish or eggs. Nevertheless, as with fish and eggs, you'll find a few vets who prefer raw for the nutritional value.
因貓是食肉動物，肉類就成為可餵給的最安全的人類食品之一，我們也因此把它放在第一位。煮熟的禽肉可以說是最好的選擇，但生肉的話，跟生魚及生雞蛋一樣會帶來安全隱患。不過你會發現一些獸醫出於營養價值考慮，給貓咪食用生魚、生雞蛋。
You'll also find conflicting advice as to whether you should worry about fat content. Dr. Colleran explains that it's largely a matter of calories. Fat is nutritious in itself, but cats, like humans, shouldn't consume too much. And cats suffer from an obesity problem in the United States, too. Even if your cat could use the extra calories, however, too much fat in one sitting can cause diarrhea. This is why you shouldn't let your cat finish your rejected fat trimmings from the table.
在是否要擔心脂肪含量問題上，你會發現有許多不一致的觀點。卡羅蘭博士對此解釋說脂肪含量問題大體是卡路里問題。脂肪本身俱有營養價值，但貓和人類一樣不能攝入過多。在美國，就有許多貓過度肥胖。即便你家貓咪可以消耗掉額外的卡路里，一頓飯攝入過多脂肪也可能會造成貓咪腹瀉，這就是為什麼不能讓貓和你一樣拒絕節食的原因。
So, it seems that moderation is important for everything we can give a cat -- except of course, our unconditional love.
所以，我們在給與貓任何東西時都要注意適度原則——當然，我們無條件的愛除外。
2: Eggs
2 、蛋類
Eggs are great for humans and cats because they're rich in protein. In fact, many books that promote natural cat diets strongly encourage owners to give their cats eggs. After all, in the wild, cats would occasionally raid the nests of birds. Vets agree that cooked eggs, such as scrambled or hard-boiled, make an excellent and nutritious treat for a cat.
蛋類因蛋白質含量豐富，對人類和貓來說都是不錯的食物。事實上，許多推崇天然飲食的書籍都強烈鼓勵貓主人給貓吃蛋類。畢竟要是在野外的話，貓咪還時常會偷襲鳥巢。獸醫們認為像炒蛋、水煮蛋那樣的熟食對貓來說是一道既美味又營養的菜。
However, although some natural diet books recommend raw eggs -- which provide more nutritional benefits and are what a cat would get in the wild -- Dr. Colleran again says this is too dangerous. Salmonella and E. coli have become too much of a risk. "Not only do you not want to make your cat sick," she notes, "but you don't want to bring those kinds of organisms into your environment." This can be a problem if, for instance, something harmful passes through the animal but remains in its excrement.
然而，雖然一些飲食類書籍推薦生雞蛋——它具有更高的營養價值，而且生雞蛋是貓在野外可以找到的食物——但是，卡羅蘭博士卻認為食用生雞蛋相當危險，貓很可能因此感染沙門氏菌和大腸桿菌。她指出：“一方面你可不希望你家小貓咪得病，另一方面你也不希望這些有害微生物進入你的生活圈。”假使有害物質已排出貓體外但留在了它們的糞便中，那可真成為了一個問題。
Another concern is that eggs are very allergenic. Dr. Colleran recommends watching for manifestations of an allergic reaction if you do feed your cat eggs.
另一項顧慮是雞蛋容易引發過敏。卡羅蘭博士建議大家如果想給貓吃蛋類食品，要看著牠吃，以防貓出現過敏症狀。
3: Fish
3 、魚類
Most cats love fish, and it can provide some much needed nutrients for them. After all, you'll find it in many commercial cat foods. So, if you're preparing a nice tuna sandwich, it shouldn't do any harm to sneak your cat a bite.
大多數貓都喜歡吃魚，魚類也能給它們提供一些不可或缺的營養物質，你總能在許多零售的貓糧中發現它的存在。因此，如果你正在準備一份美味的金槍魚三明治，你大可放心餵點貓咪吃吃，那可不會讓你的貓咪掉塊肉啊。
But -- and there's always a "but" -- you should be aware of some concerns with serving your cat too much fish. The high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in a heavy tuna diet will deplete a cat's supply of vitamin E. You should also be aware that carnivorous fish like tuna, salmon and swordfish are more likely to contain higher levels of mercury than cod, halibut and flounder.
但是——總有那麼個“但是”——你必須清楚，給貓咪吃太多魚會產生很多問題。金槍魚含有多元不飽和脂肪酸，食用過多會造成其含量過高，最終耗盡貓體內的維生素E 。你也必須知道，類似金槍魚、鮭魚、旗魚這樣的食肉魚與鱈魚、大比目魚及小比目魚相比，汞含量過高的可能性更大。
And although you'll find some vets who believe that it's fine and even preferable to give your cat uncooked fish, Dr. Colleran disagrees. She warns that uncooked oily fish contain too much thiaminase, which breaks down thiamine, an essential vitamin. This is addition to the safety hazard of eating raw fish. For instance, uncooked freshwater fish might carry a tapeworm.
一些獸醫認為給貓咪餵食生魚問題不大、甚至會更好，但是卡羅蘭博士不同意這點。她提醒大家，富油性魚類體內含有過多的硫胺酶，它會破壞至關重要的維生素B 。此外，食用生魚肉還有其他安全隱患，如：未煮熟的淡水魚體內很可能有絛蟲存在。
4: Cheese
4 、奶酪
Many cats love cheese, and it's a good source of protein for them. And although some cats are able to eat it without any problem, you'll find that dairy products often make the list of dangerous foods for cats. That's because as many cats mature to adulthood, they become lactose intolerant. For these adult cats, any cheese, milk or other dairy will cause diarrhea.
許多貓咪喜歡奶酪，奶酪能提供豐富的蛋白質。儘管一些貓咪食用奶酪過後不會產生任何問題，但它往往還是會被列為危險食物。這是因為許多貓在成年之後患有乳糖不耐症，對它們來說，食用任何奶酪、牛奶或其他乳製品都會引起腹瀉。
If you're interested in feeding your cat dairy, give it a very small amount at first to see how its digestive system handles it. It might be able to safely handle small portions of cottage cheese, or even yogurt and sour cream. You can also try giving your cat low-lactose varieties of cheese and milk.
如果你很想給你家貓咪吃點乳製品，就先給它嚐一點點，觀察它的消化系統有何反應。也許少量的白乾酪、酸奶和酸奶酪都不會造成腹瀉問題，你還可以試著給你家小貓吃各種低乳糖奶酪和牛奶。
If you only feed dairy to your cat occasionally as a special treat, you'll be able to use it to get a finicky cat to take its medicine. Some sneaky cat owners actually grind up pills for their feline and put the powder on cheese or butter to get them to ingest the medicine.
若你只是將奶酪作為調劑品偶爾餵給貓吃的話，那麼用它來騙貓吃藥是再好不過了。一些精明的貓主人會將藥片先磨碎，將藥粉撒在奶酪或黃油上讓貓吃下去。
5: Vegetables
5 、蔬菜
While humans are omnivores, meaning we can survive on meat and vegetables, a cat is classified as an obligate carnivore, meaning it needs meat to survive (or at least thrive). So, it's true that cats, unlike humans, don't derive much nutrition from vegetables. But Dr. Colleran assures us that carbohydrates aren't inherently bad for cats. Rather, cats are just able to derive more energy from protein and use it more efficiently. Some cats enjoy chomping on plants every once in a while to get roughage or fiber.
人類是雜食動物，這就意味著我們可以靠肉類及蔬菜生存，貓被歸類為專性食肉動物，這就意味著它必須食用肉類才能生存（或至少是成長所需）。因此，貓和人類不同的是，它從蔬菜中攝取不了多少營養。但是卡羅蘭博士向大家確保說，碳水化合物的攝入不會對貓產生不良影響。相反，貓能從蛋白質中獲取更多能量並進行有效利用。還有一些貓喜歡偶爾嚼嚼植物來攝取纖維素。
If you've noticed that your cat has this craving, keep houseplants away from it, because they may be toxic. Instead, serve up small portions of veggies to your cat. Some recommended vegetables include baked carrots, steamed asparagus or broccoli, green beans , winter squash, or chopped greens. Dr. Colleran advises cat owners to wash veggies thoroughly and avoid anything that might be indigestible, like uncooked carrots.
如果注意到你家貓有這種需求，你一定要將室內植物放置在它接觸不到的地方，因為那些植物可能含毒。可以給貓咪吃點蔬菜來解決這個問題，建議餵食烤胡蘿蔔、蒸蘆筍或蒸花椰菜、青豆、筍瓜或其他切碎的蔬菜。卡羅蘭博士建議貓主人們清洗蔬菜時要非常仔細，還要避免餵食那些不易消化的蔬菜，如生胡蘿蔔。
Along these same lines, some cats chew on and eat grass in order to throw something up, like a hair ball that's caught in their throat. Some cat owners without lawns will bring in some grass if their cat gets that craving.
除了 上述所說，一些貓咪會為了吐掉某些東西而去吃草，如卡在喉嚨口的毛線團。如果發現貓咪有此需求，而門前又沒有草坪，貓主人們可以從外面帶些回家餵給貓咪。
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