疫情期間，最好的朋友是寵物

》》》》》》》》一鍵領(lǐng)取入口《《《《《《《

You see them in numerous social media posts. You've probably seen more of them since COVID-19 brought quarantines, social distancing, isolation, loneliness and far worse for some of us.

你在無(wú)數(shù)的社交媒體上見(jiàn)過(guò)它們。疫情發(fā)生后，你可能有了更多和它們相處的時(shí)間。

They are our furry, feathered and faithful companions who have stuck with us through it all. Electronic images we share of them cross the globe, providing comfort to humans.

它們就是人類(lèi)毛茸茸的忠誠(chéng)的朋友。我們互相發(fā)送寵物的照片尋求慰藉。

The pandemic has amplified this trend as we gush about a new "buddy" in our lives or collectively mourn the passing of a companion who has crossed the "rainbow bridge" to pet heaven.

疫情讓我們收獲了新伙伴，或者哀悼去世的寵物。

I had cats and dogs growing up — and birds, snakes, fish, a guinea pig and turtles, too — but I kind of evolved into more of a "cat person". My wife Dee is more of a "dog person".

我養(yǎng)過(guò)貓、狗、鳥(niǎo)、蛇、魚(yú)、荷蘭豬和烏龜。不過(guò)我還是更喜歡貓，而我的太太更喜歡狗。

But we both love animals, so there's no conflict. This year, we find ourselves separated, in different countries, with travel difficult or impossible. My constant companion at home is now a black-and-white shorthair cat named Mei Mei, or "Little Sister", who has been with us for seven years.

我們都喜歡動(dòng)物，所以在養(yǎng)寵物方面沒(méi)有爭(zhēng)議。今年我們因?yàn)橐咔榉志觾蓚€(gè)國(guó)家，所以我在北京家里的伙伴就是一直黑白相間的短毛貓“妹妹”，我們已經(jīng)一起生活了七年。

We got her as a tiny kitten, the only female in the litter of a market cat named Mimi, who was owned by Jian, a kind merchant on Wulumuqi Lu in Shanghai. Jian is known as the "Avocado Lady" and beloved by expats for carrying hard-to-find foods from around the world.

“妹妹”的母親叫“咪咪”，是上海烏魯木齊路一家商戶(hù)的貓?！懊妹谩笔且桓C里唯一的母貓。這戶(hù)商家被親切稱(chēng)為“牛油果女士”，因?yàn)樗梢詭蜕虾５耐饧耸空业绞澜绺鞯仉y以找到的美食。

The tiny female kitten was being pushed away from her mother's milk by her bigger brothers. When we got her, she weakly lapped up milk formula we fed her the first few days from the palms of our hands.

“妹妹”太瘦小，被強(qiáng)壯的兄弟們擠出去無(wú)法喝奶。我們收養(yǎng)它的時(shí)候，它就舔我們放在手心里的奶粉。

I always call Mei Mei the Shanghai market kitty who grew up to move to the capital, and, indeed, she did. She is a talker with a brassy personality who sits on her "cat tree" on our glassed-in balcony to survey her domain. There usually are several dark red marks on my forearm where her claws have drawn blood while she was playing with me. I don't mind.

我總是說(shuō)“妹妹”生于上海菜市場(chǎng)，長(zhǎng)大后移居到北京。它喜歡站在陽(yáng)臺(tái)上巡視自己的地盤(pán)。我的前臂上總是有很多被它抓出的血印，不過(guò)我不介意。

Dee, my wife, who is in Panama, now has a cat and a dog that she inherited at the house where she's staying.

我太太現(xiàn)在巴拿馬居住，從房主那里繼承了一貓一狗。

Friday, a sleek black cat that Dee named on Black Friday, the marketing holiday, is a sweet kitty that loves hugs and kisses but is a fierce warrior who has no fear of the snakes or crabs she finds in the yard. Taco the Beach Dog is a typical friendly mutt that loves nothing better than for Dee to take her for a dip in the Pacific Ocean.

黑貓的名字叫“星期五”，喜歡擁抱和親吻，不過(guò)也勇于面對(duì)院子里的蛇和螃蟹。狗的名字叫“墨西哥卷餅”，非常友好，就喜歡被帶到沙灘上刨坑。

While the pandemic is mostly under control in China despite some outbreaks, Friday and Taco have been a great comfort to Dee as Panama, like many countries, continues to go through stages of quarantine and travel limitations to slow the spread of COVID-19.

這一貓一狗是我太太在巴拿馬的慰藉。雖然中國(guó)疫情得到了控制，但是巴拿馬還在繼續(xù)實(shí)行隔離和旅游限制。

Dee tries to bring other stray neighborhood dogs into the fold. Her latest project is a skinny young dog, black with white feet, that she has named Miss Scout after a character in the classic Harper Lee novel and movie To Kill a Mockingbird. I can't object — Dee's big heart is one of the things I love the most about her. Miss Scout is still skittish but Dee won't give up.

我太太還嘗試收留社區(qū)里的其它被困住的狗。她最近收留了一只骨瘦如柴的黑狗，有著白色的腳。這只狗被命名為“斯科特小姐”，源自小說(shuō)《殺死一只知更鳥(niǎo)》。我太太的胸襟很大，我也是我最?lèi)?ài)她的一點(diǎn)。這只狗依然怕人，但我太太還在努力。

We hope to see each other before too long, but for now, we share the antics of our respective furry companions when we talk on WeChat each night. It's not like being there in person, but it helps.

我們夫妻倆希望盡快相見(jiàn)，不過(guò)我們現(xiàn)在每晚視頻聊天時(shí)，都會(huì)分享各自寵物的照片。雖然不是親自看到，但也聊勝于無(wú)。