猫咪那么可爱，猫屎为什么臭死人？

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.

每当看到可爱的小猫咪时，我们都会情不自禁地露出微笑。但一想到如何清理粪便盆时，我们脸上的笑容便会渐渐消失。哪怕是拥有世界上最先进科技的粪便盆，也无法隐藏新鲜猫屎所散发出的恶臭味。

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.

话说回来了，猫屎为什么比狗屎或其他动物的屎都要臭呢?常有人将其归咎于饮食习惯、消化不良、或是寄身虫之故。而最近，日本岩手大学一个胆大的研究团队一举打破了这些谬见。其实，导致猫屎散发出恶臭的罪魁祸首就是其成分组成。

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.

该研究成果目前已发表于《化学生态学杂志》(Journal of Chemical Ecology)。该团队的研究人员之一、Masao Miyazaki副教授认为，这个突破性发现将为今后旨在减少猫科动物粪便臭味的科技发展提供指引。

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.

所以说，他们究竟发现了什么呢?答案很简单：含硫化合物。所有去过日本户外温泉的人都可以证明，硫磺会散发出如腐臭鸡蛋的气味。

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.

该研究团队发现，雄性猫咪在标记领地时，粪便中含有大量含硫化合物，而同一种含硫化合物在狗屎中却明显缺少

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.

这些挥发性含硫化合物从新鲜的便便中散发出来，使我们捏紧鼻头，开始怀疑人生。然而，这也给了我们一个启示：当其与金属离子结合时，就会变得较为稳定。

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.

理论上没错。听上去似乎也很简单。但要想利用该成果研发相关除臭技术，还得需要更多研究才行，而且这还只是一半真凶。而其他成分，如丁酸与丙酸，也会助长恶臭。这些成分虽然可以让猫咪区分彼此，但也使得消除气味变得更为困难。

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.

现在我们算是搞清楚了，当猫屎变得臭死人时，其实猫咪没出什么毛病。它们只是天生粪便很臭而已。从进化层面上来看，也有可能归因为它们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.

总而言之，除非教会小猫咪使用洗手间，让它们自己把粪便冲走，否则就甘心接受臭味缭绕吧。