Aiden
Dad, the new feather teaser/ˈfeðər ˈtiːzər/逗猫棒 I bought is amazing! All three cats were chasing it like crazy. Xiangxiang and Xiaojiu are already fast asleep.
爸爸，我新买的逗猫棒太神了！三只猫都追疯了。香香和小九已经呼呼大睡了。
Dad
I noticed that. Usually, they would be zooming around/ˈzuːmɪŋ əˈraʊnd/到处乱窜 the house at this hour. Xiaojiu was even panting after the session!
我注意到了。平时这个时候它们肯定在家里到处乱窜呢。刚才玩完后小九甚至在喘粗气！
Aiden
Yeah, she was out of breath/aʊt əv breθ/气喘吁吁. It’s because the toy triggers their hunting instinct/ˈhʌntɪŋ ˈɪnstɪŋkt/狩猎本能. They think the feathers are real prey.
是啊，她都累得气喘吁吁了。这是因为玩具激发了它们的狩猎本能。它们把羽毛当成了真正的猎物。
Dad
Cats are interesting. They are crepuscular/krɪˈpʌskjələr/黄昏活跃的 animals, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk. That’s why they usually run wild at night.
猫挺有意思的。它们是黄昏活跃型动物，意味着它们在黎明和黄昏最活跃。这就是为什么它们通常在晚上“撒欢”。
Aiden
True, but since I wore them out/wɔːr ðəm aʊt/让它们筋疲力尽, they’ve lost the energy to misbehave. It’s better than them knocking over vases in the middle of the night.
没错，但既然我把它们累得筋疲力尽，它们就没精力捣乱了。这总比它们在大半夜撞倒花瓶好。
Dad
Definitely. Using toys for mental stimulation/ˈmentl ˌstɪmjuˈleɪʃn/脑力刺激 is important for indoor cats. It keeps them contented/kənˈtentɪd/满足的/安分的 and healthy.
确实。对于室内猫来说，用玩具提供脑力刺激很重要。这能让它们感到满足且保持健康。