貓咪那么可愛，貓屎為什么臭死人？

Our adorable feline companions never fail to make us smile, but those smiles can quickly turn into frowns at the thought of cleaning their litter box. And even the most technologically-advanced litter box still can’t hide the odor emanating from fresh cat poop.

每當看到可愛的小貓咪時，我們都會情不自禁地露出微笑。但一想到如何清理糞便盆時，我們臉上的笑容便會漸漸消失。哪怕是擁有世界上最先進科技的糞便盆，也無法隱藏新鮮貓屎所散發(fā)出的惡臭味。

But why does the excrement from cats boast a higher stink factor than that from dogs or other animals? Some people have attributed it to diet, digestive disorders, or the presence of parasites. But now a daring research group from Iwate University has busted those myths, identifying exactly what it is within cat feces as that culprits that contribute to their legendary odor.

話說回來了，貓屎為什么比狗屎或其他動物的屎都要臭呢?常有人將其歸咎于飲食習慣、消化不良、或是寄身蟲之故。而最近，日本巖手大學一個膽大的研究團隊一舉打破了這些謬見。其實，導致貓屎散發(fā)出惡臭的罪魁禍首就是其成分組成。

Their results have been published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology. One of the group’s researchers, Associate Professor Masao Miyazaki, concluded that their breakthrough findings will lead to further development of technologies aimed at reducing feline poop odor.

該研究成果目前已發(fā)表于《化學生態(tài)學雜志》(Journal of Chemical Ecology)。該團隊的研究人員之一、Masao Miyazaki副教授認為，這個突破性發(fā)現(xiàn)將為今后旨在減少貓科動物糞便臭味的科技發(fā)展提供指引。

So what exactly did they find? The answer is simple: sulfur compounds. Anyone who’s ever been to a natural outdoor hot spring in Japan can attest to the rotten-egg smell sulfur can produce.

所以說，他們究竟發(fā)現(xiàn)了什么呢?答案很簡單：含硫化合物。所有去過日本戶外溫泉的人都可以證明，硫磺會散發(fā)出如腐臭雞蛋的氣味。

The research group found an abundance of sulfur compounds in male catspracticing territorial marking, and also that the same sulfur compounds were noticeably absent from dog feces.

該研究團隊發(fā)現(xiàn)，雄性貓咪在標記領地時，糞便中含有大量含硫化合物，而同一種含硫化合物在狗屎中卻明顯缺少

These volatile sulfur-containing compounds radiate out from fresh poop, causing us to wrinkle our noses and regret our life’s choices. But here’s the kicker: they become a lot more stable when bound to metal ions.

這些揮發(fā)性含硫化合物從新鮮的便便中散發(fā)出來，使我們捏緊鼻頭，開始懷疑人生。然而，這也給了我們一個啟示：當其與金屬離子結合時，就會變得較為穩(wěn)定。

Technically, yes. It sounds deceptively easy, but developing technology to take advantage of the group’s findings will require a great deal more research, and that’s only half of the equation. Other components like butyric acid and propionic acid also contribute to the odor, which while allowing cats to differentiate between individuals, also make our quest to eliminate them all the more difficult.

理論上沒錯。聽上去似乎也很簡單。但要想利用該成果研發(fā)相關除臭技術，還得需要更多研究才行，而且這還只是一半真兇。而其他成分，如丁酸與丙酸，也會助長惡臭。這些成分雖然可以讓貓咪區(qū)分彼此，但也使得消除氣味變得更為困難。

Now we know there’s nothing wrong with cats when they have smelly excrement. They just naturally stink a whole lot, which on an evolutionary level might have been due to their noses being far less sensitive compared to dogs.

現(xiàn)在我們算是搞清楚了，當貓屎變得臭死人時，其實貓咪沒出什么毛病。它們只是天生糞便很臭而已。從進化層面上來看，也有可能歸因為它們的鼻子相比狗狗不那么敏感。

So unless people start teaching cats to use human toilets and flush the nasty things down to oblivion, smelly kitty poop will be lingering for a little longer.

總而言之，除非教會小貓咪使用洗手間，讓它們自己把糞便沖走，否則就甘心接受臭味繚繞吧。