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What Are Cats Really Doing When They Purr?

ゴロゴロ音は満足のサインだけじゃない、というのが現代の答え。

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For a long time, people assumed that a purring cat was a happy cat. That assumption is half right. Cats certainly purr when they are content — curled up on a lap, eyes closed, paws tucked under. But veterinarians have noticed cats also purring in situations no one would call happy: at the vet's office, while giving birth, even moments before death. The current explanation is that purring is not a single signal but a kind of self-soothing tool, similar to a person humming when they are nervous. The frequency at which cats purr — between twenty-five and one hundred fifty hertz — happens to fall within the range that promotes bone density and tissue healing in mammals. Some researchers suspect that cats, who spend most of the day asleep or barely moving, evolved purring partly as a way to keep their skeletons strong. So the next time your cat curls up next to you and starts to purr, the message may be more complex than you thought. It might mean: I am happy. Or it might mean: I am tired, and I am taking care of myself, and you are welcome to be part of it.

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people assumed that a purring cat was a happy cat文法
人々は『ゴロゴロ鳴く猫は幸せな猫だ』と思い込んできた
〈assume that ...〉= 『〜だと思い込む』。時制の一致 (was) で間接話法的。
in situations no one would call happy文法
誰も幸せとは呼ばないような状況で
目的格関係詞の省略 + 仮定法 would。
purring is not a single signal but a kind of self-soothing tool文法
ゴロゴロは単一のシグナルではなく、自己鎮静ツールの一種だ
〈not A but B〉= 『A ではなく B』、強い対比。
happens to fall within the range表現
偶然にも、範囲に入る
〈happen to + 動詞〉= 『偶然〜する』。〈fall within〉= 『〜の範囲に入る』。
evolved purring partly as a way to keep their skeletons strong文法
骨格を強く保つ手段の一部として、ゴロゴロを進化させた
〈evolve + 名詞 + as a way to + 動詞〉= 進化生物学の典型構文。
the message may be more complex than you thought文法
そのメッセージはあなたが思っていたよりも複雑かもしれない
〈more X than you thought〉= 『思っていたよりも X』、比較構文。

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