It may be hard to believe， but cats pay more attention to their owners than we think. Felines are notoriously independent and often full of character， yet their personality traits could be a reflection of their owners， according to animal behaviorists.

尽管难以置信，但猫咪对主人的关注超出我们的想象。动物行为学家指出，虽然猫以独立和充满个性著称，但其性格特征可能是主人的映射。

Newsweek reached out to two experts who said certain traits can be inherited from owners， while other characteristics may indicate that further training is needed.

《新闻周刊》就此采访了两位专家，他们表示：猫咪的部分特质可能与主人一脉相承，而另一些则可能意味着猫咪需要进一步训练。

Los Angeles-based Sylvie Sterling told Newsweek： “Cats reflect our own emotional states back at us， hoping we’ll recognize ourselves in them.” The cat whisperer1 and owner of an academy for cat communication explained how certain characteristics can coincide with those of their keepers.

来自洛杉矶的西尔薇·斯特林告诉《新闻周刊》：“猫咪反映了我们的情绪状态，但愿我们能从它们身上看到自己的影子。”这位“猫语者”，同时也是一所猫咪沟通学院的创始人，解释了猫的某些特征是如何与它们主人的特征相契合的。

“A cat that keeps hiding under the bed when visitors come over most likely reflects a person who doesn’t feel comfortable around other people，” Sterling said. “An aggressive cat might reflect a person who is angry at the world and frequently chews people’s heads off. Whereas a timid cat reflects a person who lets other people walk all over them.”

“客人来访时总躲在床底的猫咪，很可能反映出主人不擅长与人相处。”斯特林如此说道，“攻击性强的猫咪可能映射出主人对世界充满愤怒，常常无缘无故地对人发火；而胆小的猫则反映了主人总是逆来顺受。”

Sterling， the founder of Feline Soul Academy， said a cat that overgrooms may indicate its owner is “overly concerned about their looks.”

“猫咪心灵学院”的创始人斯特林研究发现，过度舔毛梳理自己的猫咪可能意味着主人“过度在意自身外貌”。

“In any case， it’s important that the person recognizes the pattern so that they can change their behavior or start healing their unresolved life topics. Once the human changes their behavior， so will the cat. So the key to a happy cat is to be happy ourselves first，” she said.

她又提到：“无论哪种情况，关键是主人要识别这种模式，从而改变自身行为或开始疗愈未解决的人生课题。一旦主人改变了自身行为，猫咪也会随之改变。因此，让猫感到幸福的关键是我们自己首先要快乐。”

Sterling’s statements have been backed by a study published in the online journal PLoS One. Researchers explored the relationship between owner personality and the lifestyles to which cats are exposed.

斯特林的观点得到了线上期刊《公共科学图书馆·综合》一项研究的支持。研究人员探讨了主人性格与猫咪生活方式之间的关系。

Over 3，000 cat owners took part in the survey， which focused on the link between language and vocabulary and the evidence of five broad traits： extroversion， agreeableness， openness， conscientiousness and neuroticism.

该研究调查了3000多名猫主人，聚焦语言、词汇以及五大性格特质（外向性、宜人性、开放性、责任心和神经质）之间的联系。