Cats share a long history with humans but are remarkable among domesticated species in largely retaining behavioural and reproductive independence from people. In many societies, the cat maintains liminal status as both a domestic and a wild animal. An adaptive push-and-pull between wild and domestic traits corresponds with dual roles as companions and pest controllers, and with conflicted treatment in husbandry, management, law, and public discourse. To move forward, we must proceed by understanding that cats are not exclusively pets or pests, but both a central component of human societies and an important, often adverse, influence on ecosystems. Developing a collaborative 'companion animal ecology', in which human-animal domestic relations link to ecological processes, will enable sustainable management of this wild companionship.

中文翻译：

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我们的野生伙伴：人类世的家猫。

猫与人类有着悠久的历史，但在驯养的物种中，猫在很大程度上保留了人类的行为和生殖独立性。在许多社会中，猫作为家养动物和野生动物都保持着临界状态。野生性状和家养性状之间的适应性推拉对应着作为伴侣和害虫控制者的双重角色，以及在畜牧业、管理、法律和公共话语中的冲突处理。为了向前迈进，我们必须理解猫不仅是宠物或害虫，而且是人类社会的核心组成部分，也是对生态系统的重要影响，通常是不利的影响。发展一种协作的“伴侣动物生态学”，其中人与动物的家庭关系与生态过程联系起来，将使这种野生伴侣关系的可持续管理成为可能。