CAT是欧美很普通的一种宠物，在蓄养方式上有家猫（domestic cat or house cat,）与野猫（wild cat）或流浪猫（stray cat）之分，在品种上有纯种猫（purebred cat, pedigreed cat, or show cat；英国人与澳大利亚人有时称之为moggies.）与非纯种猫（non-purebred cat, domestic longhairs, or domestic shorthairs；美国人有时称之为alley-cat,）之分。在英语中，雄猫被称为tomcat，雌猫被称为queen，幼猫被称kitten，一群猫则被称为a clowder。猫叫声在美国为meow，在英国为miaow，在法国则为miaou。
在英美文化中，猫天资聪明，动作灵敏，在很多其他动物会被杀害的情况下，猫总能逃过劫难，其生命力比其它动物强。它谨慎，果断，从高处掉下总是脚先落地，不会受伤。在古罗马，猫是自由的象征；在古埃及，猫被奉若神明，被当作是女神BAST的化身，任何杀害猫的人都要被处死，猫死后还要象人那样做成木乃伊以保其永生；古老的北欧人认为猫是爱情、农作及战争之女神弗雷娅（Freya）的宠物；在中世纪时的欧洲，猫（尤其是黑猫）被称为“供女巫差遣的妖精（witches' familiars）”，撒旦的爱畜便是一只黑猫。那时的欧洲人在庆祝节日时常把猫烧死或从高楼上抛下，有些历史学家认为正是那时人们对猫的憎恨与残杀，使猫的数量大大减少，从而使老鼠数量大大增加，最终导致了黑死病（Black Death or Black Plague）的爆发。
西方各国关于猫（尤其是黑猫）的迷信也很多。[1] 猫能够预测天气的变化，甚至能够左右暴风雨。骑在暴风前行的女巫常化身为猫，这在《哈里波特》里便有体现。猫可以预示大雨，狗则可以预示狂风，因此有"It's raining cats and dogs"之比。要是猫总是盯着窗外望，那就是要下雨啦。渔民在出海前也常拿猫来预测海上是否会有风浪。[2] 听到猫打喷濞好运将至；梦见猫可不是件好事；你要是杀死了一只猫，你将来有条腿肯定会患上风湿；农场主要是杀猫，其牛羊会神秘地不断死去；要是有人一下子毁去了猫的九条命，这一辈子将猫魂缠身。多数人认为见到黑猫预示着不幸（unlucky），如It is unlucky if a black cat crosses one's path。而英国的学童则认为路上见白猫肯定要倒霉，他们会吐口吐沫，转过身去，然后划十字以避邪；在晚上见到白猫更是不好；在葬礼上要是见到了黑猫，死者家里还要有人死去；在万圣节时，黑猫常其邪气遭人暗算。黑猫最受渔妇的喜爱，因为她们认为黑猫会给自己出海的丈夫带来好运。[3] 猫有灵性，可以看到冥界的事情，可以感觉到精灵或魔鬼的临近，如《人鬼情未了》里便有这一幕。美国人还认为，搬新家时猫不可以从门进入，而要从窗户进来，只有这样猫才能一辈子对这个家不离不弃。
猫用she代替，多用来比喻女人。有些人认为猫懒惰而且贪婪，作隐喻用于词组fat cat（懒惰且贪婪的人）。猫打架时攻击性很强，用尖牙利爪互相伤害。其行为的这一侧面用catty（狠毒的）表示，指行为恶毒，令人讨厌，常在背后说人坏话，损害别人名誉。Kitten（小猫）则被认为是逗人的、好玩的，不具有成年猫表现出来的那种独立性或恶毒的行为。当kitten作隐喻时，常用于描述非常性感、乐于调情的女人，多指称女演员、女歌手和女模特人。当将某妇女的行为描述为kittenish指该妇女顽皮地、活波地与男人调情。
在中国的十二生肖里，没有猫的名份。据说是因为老鼠没有按事先约好的那样唤醒沉睡的猫，独自去应征这十二个名额，因此使猫名落孙山，并由此世代与老鼠为敌。我们对猫的印象总是与“猫玩线团”联系在一起，这说明我们对猫的印象还蛮不错的，认为它比较可爱。老人们总说“狗是忠臣，猫是奸臣，”因为猫总是离家出走，一去不回。还有一种印象便是出自于猫的叫声，猫总是在夜间向异性求爱，其声时而尖锐刺耳，时而凄惨婉转，所以便有“野猫叫春”，以比淫荡之人。汉语里关于猫的词汇与短语则远不如狗那样的丰富。模特走台姿态优雅，我们称之为“猫步”。弯腰前行称作“猫着腰”。捉迷藏叫“藏猫猫”。成语里有“照猫画虎”、“小猫钓鱼”。歇后语里有“猫哭耗子假慈悲”。
Proverbs of CAT
［参考译文］猫儿戴手套，老鼠捉不到。// 戴手套的猫捉不到老鼠。// 四肢不勤的人，什么事也做不出来。
All cats are gray in the dark. // When candles are out all cats are gray.
［参考译文］猫在黑暗中都是灰色的。// 人在未成名时，很难看出什么差别。
The cat would eat fish and would not wet her feet. // All cats love fish but fear to wet their paws.
［参考译文］猫儿爱鱼却怕弄湿爪子。// 猫想吃鱼，又怕湿了脚。// 想坐享其成，不劳而获。
Curiosity killed a cat.
［参考译文］好奇心杀猫。// 太爱管闲事会带来麻烦。
A baited cat may grow as fierce as a lion.
［参考译文］被逼急的猫，凶得象狮子。
A scalded cat fears cold water.
［参考译文］一朝被蛇咬，十年怕草绳。
Cats hide their paws.
［参考译文］猫儿不露爪。
A cat has nine lives. // A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.
［参考译文］猫有九命。// 猫有九命，玩掉三命，逃掉三命，保住三命。
Care killed a cat. // Care killed the cat.
［参考译文］忧虑杀猫。// 忧虑伤身。// 忧虑能杀人。
It is said that “ a cat hath nine lives”, yet care would wear them all out.
［参考译文］据说猫有九条命，忧虑能让九命亡。
A cat may look at a king.
［参考译文］猫也有权见国王。// 地位虽不同，人人应平等。// 小人物也是人，***应平等。
Ale will make cat speak.
［参考译文］猫喝啤酒，也会开口。
A cat is hungry when a crust contents her.
［参考译文］饥不择食。
A blate cat makes a proud mouse. // A shy cat makes a proud mouse.
［参考译文］猫儿害羞，老鼠上房。// 猫儿胆小耗子闹。
The cat and dog may kiss, yet are none the better friends.
［参考译文］猫狗虽然能亲嘴，但也难成好朋友。
That cat won’t jump. // That cat won’t fight.
［参考译文］那只猫不会跳（打架）。// 这个办法行不通；问题不是这样。
That’s like putting the cat near the goldfish bowl.
［参考译文］这等于把猫放在金鱼缸旁。// 自找麻烦；自讨苦吃；开门揖盗。
There are more ways than one to kill a cat. // There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
［参考译文］杀猫不只一种办法。// 剥猫皮的办法不止一个。// 有的是办法；做某事的办法不止一种。
That that comes of a cat will catch mice.
［参考译文］没有不会捉老鼠的猫。
In a cat's eyes, all things belong to cats.
［参考译文］猫眼里的一切都是她自己的。
A cat with a straw tail keeps away from fire.
［参考译文］猫尾如稻草，不往火边靠。
世界各国是怎样看猫的
试试译出这些谚语吧
A cat may go to a monastery, but she still remains a cat. ---African Proverb
The cat which did not reach the sausage said: Anyhow it is Friday.-- Georgian Proverb
Cats don't catch mice to please God. -- Afghan Proverb
Where there are no tigers, a wildcat is very self-important.-- Korean Proverb
Those who dislike cats will be carried to the cemetery in the rain. -- Dutch Proverb
Flatters, like cats, lick and then scratch. -- German Proverb
To live long, eat like a cat, drink like a dog. -- German Proverb
If you play with a cat, you must not mind her scratch.-- Yiddish Proverb
All cats are bad in May. -- French Proverb
After dark all cats are leopards. -- Native American Proverb
An old cat will never learn to dance.-- Moroccan Jewish Saying
If stretching were wealth, the cat would be rich. -- African Proverb
One should not send a cat to deliver cream-- Yiddish saying
If a cat washes her face in front of several persons, the first person she looks at will be the first to get married.-- Early American saying
If a girl treads on a cat's tail, she will not find a husband before a year is out. -- French proverb
Books and cats and fair-haired little girls make the best furnishings for a room. -- French proverb
Who cares well for cats will marry as happily as he or she could ever wish. -- French proverb
The cat's a saint when there are no mice about. -- Japanese proverb
The cat is a lion to the mouse. -- Albanian proverb
A house without either a cat or a dog is the house of a scoundrel. -- Portuguese Proverb
A cat goes to a monastery, but she still remains a cat. -- Congolese Proverb
The kind man feeds his cat before sitting down to dinner. -- Hebrew Proverb
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幸運會青睞瘋狂
幸運會青睞瘋狂
