A UC Davis study finds a person's anxiety and depression will affect the bond with their cat.

加州大学戴维斯分校（UC Davis）的一项研究发现，一个人的焦虑和抑郁会影响他和猫的关系。

The COVID-19 pandemic may have many people feeling anxious. But if you happen to own a cat, they may be benefiting from your anxiety. A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, and California State University, East Bay, finds that the more neurotic and anxious cat owners are, the more trust and affection they have for their cat. The study was published in the journal Anthrozoös.

COVID-19病毒的大流行可能会让很多人感到焦虑。但如果你碰巧有一只猫，它们可能会从你的焦虑中受益。加州大学戴维斯分校和加州州立大学东湾分校（California State University, East Bay）的研究人员进行的一项新研究发现，猫主人越神经质和焦虑，他们对自己的猫就越信任和喜爱。这项研究发表在《人类动物园》杂志上。

“Cat ladies aren’t crazy, they’re just anxious,” quipped co-author Mikel Delgado, a postdoctoral researcher at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “Our study finds that anxiousness may be a positive trait to have because it is associated with trust and affection for a cat.”

加州大学戴维斯分校兽医学院博士后研究员、合著者Mikel Delgado打趣道:“养猫的女士们不是疯了，她们只是焦虑而已。我们的研究发现，焦虑可能是一种积极的特质，因为它与对猫的信任和喜爱有关。”

Delgado and co-author Gretchen Reevy, a psychologist with California State University, East Bay, conducted an online, anonymous survey of 1,239 cat owners. Eighty-seven percent of respondents were female. The survey asked questions about how worthy people felt of their cat’s love, how available and trustworthy they felt their cat was, and their general feelings of affection toward their cat.

Delgado和合著者、加州州立大学东湾分校的心理学家Gretchen Reevy，对1239名养猫人进行了一项网上匿名调查。87%的受访者是女性。该调查询问了人们对他们的猫有多爱，多重视，他们对他们的猫有多信任，以及对他们的猫的总体感情。

Depression affects cat-human bond

抑郁影响猫与人的关系

While higher scores on neuroticism and anxiety could benefit a relationship with one’s cat, the study found that higher scores on most negative emotions, especially depression, were related to feeling less worthy of their cat’s love. Previous studies have found similar results in romantic relationships and friendships.

虽然在神经质和焦虑上得分越高，可能有利于与猫的关系，但研究发现，在大多数负面情绪(尤其是抑郁)上得分越高，就会觉得自己不值得猫的爱。之前的研究也在恋爱关系和友谊中发现了类似的结果。

“If you are prone to depression, you’re seeing everything through that lens,” Delgado said. “This shows that a tendency toward negative emotions will affect any relationship, including a relationship with a cat.”

Delgado说:“如果你有抑郁的倾向，你就会从这个角度看问题。这表明消极情绪的倾向会影响任何关系，包括和猫的关系。”

In contrast, the way in which negative emotions influenced feelings of trust in a relationship depended on whether the relationship was with a human or cat. In human relationships, depression decreased the feeling that a friend or partner was trustworthy.

相反，在一段关系中，负面情绪影响信任感的方式取决于这段关系是与人还是与猫。在人际关系中，抑郁会降低朋友或伴侣值得信赖的感觉。

Anger decreased the feeling that a cat was trustworthy, and anxiety increased the feeling.

愤怒会减少猫值得信赖的感觉，而焦虑会增加这种感觉。

Delgado said she embarked on the study to understand what can help people have a better bond with their pet. A lot of that can be influenced by human behavior.

Delgado说，她开展这项研究的目的是为了了解什么能帮助人们与宠物建立更好的关系。这在很大程度上是受人类行为的影响。

“While we’re sheltering at home during coronavirus, our cats may be our sole companions. They’re important to our lives,” she said. “But problems with the human-cat relationship put cats at risk for ending up in animal shelters.”

“在冠状病毒感染期间，当我们躲在家里的时候，我们的猫可能是我们唯一的伙伴。它们对我们的生活很重要。但是人猫关系的问题让猫面临着被送到动物收容所的风险。”

Co-author Reevy said it’s important to understand that our personalities can impact how we bond with our pets.

合著者Reevy说，我们的性格会影响我们和宠物的关系，理解这一点很重要。

“Cats can be wonderful companions and sources of comfort, and it looks like a person’s personality affects their tendency to appreciate, enjoy and hopefully benefit emotionally from a relationship with a cat,” Reevy said.

“猫可以是很好的伴侣，安慰的来源，看起来一个人的性格会影响他们欣赏、享受和希望从与猫的关系中获得情感上的益处的倾向，”Reevy说。