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Pet basics: 养猫 (keep a cat), 三花猫 (calico cat), 猫粮 (cat food) and the famous 铲屎 (scooping the litter box).; Describing personality: 胆子小 (timid), 独立 (independent), 聪明 (smart) — useful for people too!; Everyday cat-life verbs: 睡觉 (sleep), 晒太阳 (bask in the sun), 躲 (hide), 梳毛 (brush fur).
Hi, I'm Xiao Yue! Today I want you to meet a little someone. She's not a person — she's my cat. Her name is Xiao Hua.
Why is she called Xiao Hua? Because she's a calico cat, with three colors on her: orange, black, and white. Oh, and she's two years old — still a little girl. To me, she's the most beautiful cat in the world.
What Xiao Hua loves most is sleeping. Cats can sleep more than ten hours a day. Sometimes I call her, she gives me one look, and goes right back to sleep. What a lazy little cat!
Her favorite spot is the windowsill. In the afternoon when the sun is out, she lies there basking in the sun, and sleeps the whole afternoon away. After her sunbath, Xiao Hua is warm all over, and so soft to touch.
Xiao Hua eats twice a day — once in the morning, once in the evening. Her bowl is in the kitchen. When it's mealtime, she comes to find me — more punctual than an alarm clock.
The funniest thing is, the moment I walk into the kitchen, she follows me in. She sits by her bowl, looks at me, then looks at the bowl. I know what she's saying: I'm hungry, feed me now!
Xiao Hua is quite a scaredy-cat. Once, I wanted to take her out to play. The moment the door opened and she saw outside, she got scared, trembling like a little leaf.
Since that day, I don't take her out anymore. She just loves staying home. At home, she goes wherever she wants. The sofa, the bed, the desk — they're all hers.
When guests come over, Xiao Hua disappears. Guess where she is? She's hiding under the bed. Only after the guests leave does she slowly come out. That's her — such a scaredy-cat.
But at home, she has a great time playing. The moment I pick up the feather wand, her eyes light up. I give it a shake, and she pounces on it. That look on her — too cute. When she's tired from playing, she lies on the floor and watches me.
Owning a cat has one not-so-fun part: scooping poop. I have to clean Xiao Hua's litter box every day. Honestly, it's a little smelly. But what can I do? She's just too cute.
I also brush her fur often. Her fur is a bit long, and if I don't brush it, it gets all over the sofa. When I brush her, she closes her eyes in comfort, almost falling asleep.
I work during the day, so she's home alone. But don't worry — she's not scared at all. She sleeps on her own, plays on her own, and does just fine. That's how cats are — very independent.
When I go traveling, I ask a friend to come over, to put out cat food and change her water. The first time, Xiao Hua hid when she saw my friend. She's much better now — she doesn't hide anymore.
Every day when I get home, I open the door and look for Xiao Hua. Sometimes, she's sitting right at the door waiting for me. As soon as I'm home, she follows me around — wherever I go, there she goes. In those moments, my heart feels so warm.
I think cats are perfect for people living in apartments. Cats don't need to go out, and they're quiet. While you're at work, she stays home by herself, no problem. With food and toys, she's a happy girl.
Alright, that's my cat, Xiao Hua. A calico cat who loves sleeping, gets scared easily, but is oh-so-adorable. Do you like cats? What little animals do you have at home? Tell me in the comments. That's all for today — see you next time!
Adapted from a Simply Natural Chinese YouTube episode into a complete three-line website reading. This is not a word-for-word transcript.
The reading may differ from the original video or audio.
Words to take with you
Useful words
养猫
to have / keep a cat
住公寓的人很适合养猫。
Cats are perfect for people living in apartments.三花猫
calico cat
她是一只三花猫。
She's a calico cat.睡觉
to sleep
小花呀,最爱睡觉。
What Xiao Hua loves most is sleeping.晒太阳
to bask in the sun
她就趴在那里晒太阳。
She lies there basking in the sun.窗台
windowsill
她最喜欢的地方是窗台。
Her favorite spot is the windowsill.猫粮
cat food
朋友来家里,给她放猫粮,换水。
My friend comes over to put out cat food and change her water.胆子小
timid; easily scared
小花的胆子很小。
Xiao Hua is quite a scaredy-cat.躲
to hide
她躲在床下面呢。
She's hiding under the bed.铲屎
to scoop the litter box (lit. 'shovel poop')
养猫也有不太好玩的事,就是铲屎。
Owning a cat has one not-so-fun part: scooping poop.梳毛
to brush (a pet's) fur
我还常常给她梳毛。
I also brush her fur often.独立
independent
猫就是这样,很独立。
That's how cats are — very independent.一…就…
as soon as… (then…)
我一回家,她就跟着我走。
As soon as I'm home, she follows me around.Check your understanding
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