Author: Samuel Wilson

Let me set the scene… 

让我来设置场景……

I’m sitting outside Nanjing Railway Station on a slightly chilly November morning sipping on my Americano; too hot and bitter but I need it at this time of morning; and munching down my morning “baozi”. I’m gazing over Xuanwu Lake and further afield towards the cityscape and Zifeng Tower. Some of the city lights are blinking off as daylight slowly drags itself out of bed. 

在一个略带寒冷的11月的早晨，我坐在南京火车站外，喝着美式酒；太热了，太苦了，但我早上这个时候需要它；咀嚼着我早上的“包子”。 我正凝视着玄武湖，更远的是城市景观和紫峰塔。 随着日光慢慢从床上爬起来，一些城市灯光闪烁着熄灭。

But this romanticised view of the city is abruptly broken as I realise I’m going to my miss my train if I don’t get a move on. Not a great start to the day, as I rush across to go through the security area and on to getting my ticket checked, where a station employee fumbles around with my passport and I silently beg him not to bend it too much like that as he attempts to scan it. 

但这种浪漫的城市景观突然被打破了，因为我意识到如果我不继续前进，我会错过我的火车。 这不是一天的好开始，我冲过去穿过安检区，开始检查我的票，在那里，一个车站员工摸索着我的护照，我默默地求他不要像那样弯曲，因为他试图扫描它。

Very soon after, I’m sat comfortably in my allocated seat as the train departs. Across the Yangtze River Bridge we go, heading in a northerly direction, and then eastwards towards Nantong. 

不久之后，当火车起飞时，我舒适地坐在分配的座位上。 我们穿过长江大桥，向北走，然后向东走向南通。

I didn’t plan on going back so soon, if at all if I’m being brutally honest, but duty calls and the chance to see and celebrate with a friend and past students of mine proved a good-enough excuse to return to the eastern Jiangsu city.

老实说，我不打算这么快就回去，但值班电话和与朋友以及我过去的学生一起见面和庆祝的机会被证明是回到江苏东部城市的充分借口。

My eyes drifted from my book, a collection of poetry by Ted Hughes, from its pages to the flat, irrigated plains that seemed far removed from the imaginative, symbolic and natural themes of the poems laid out in front of me in my hands. I thought to myself that I needed another coffee to perk me up as we made our way past Yangzhou (decent food, decent lake, decent spa baths) and on towards Taizhou (note to self; might visit one day) as the carriage around me slowly emptied of other passengers. The landscape stayed flat and characterless as we pulled up at Nantong West Station, my final stop for the time being.

我的目光从我的书上飘落，这是泰德·休斯的诗集，从书页飘到平坦的、灌溉的平原上，似乎与我手中的诗歌的富有想象力、象征性和自然的主题相去甚远。 我心想，当我们经过扬州（不错的食物、不错的湖泊、不错的水疗浴池），前往台州（自我注意；有一天可能会访问）时，我需要再喝杯咖啡来让我振作起来，因为我周围的马车慢慢清空了其他乘客。 当我们停在南通西站时，风景仍然平淡无奇，这是我目前的最后一站。

Let me add a little context here. I lived, taught and adopted a cat in my 2-year tenure in Nantong. Regarded by some as China’s first “modern” city, I had longed for Chengdu and my previous lifestyle whilst there, and wished away my days when the decision to move to Nanjing was finalised. Numerous friends, colleagues and students had come and gone in more recent months, but I nevertheless planned to make a day of it, wandering around my old Nantong haunts while I waited for the early evening celebrations to begin.

让我在这里添加一点上下文。 在南通的2年任期内，我生活、教和收养了一隻貓。 被一些人视为中国第一个“现代”城市，我渴望成都和我以前在那里的生活方式，并希望搬到南京的决定最终确定时的日子过去。 最近几个月来，许多朋友、同事和学生来来去去，但我还是计划度过一天，在我以前的南通出没的地方徘徊，同时等待傍晚庆祝活动的开始。

The Didi dropped me off downtown as I realised, Toto, I was not in Kansas anymore. Coffee number two accompanied me as I made my way to the nearby Rive Hao (濠河). Imagine an ancient wall, think Xi’an or our more familiar Nanjing, and the river acts as the same,surrounding the old city centre like a square. 

迪迪把我送到市中心，我意识到，托托，我不再在堪萨斯州了。 当我去附近的濠河时，第二杯咖啡伴随着我。 想象一下一堵古老的城墙，想想西安或我们更熟悉的南京，河流也一样，像一个广场一样环绕着老城区中心。

To kill time, I planned to walk the entire thing; the whole 15 kilometres of it (my watch step counter had a field day that day).

为了打消磨时间，我计划走整个路；走整整15公里（我的手表计步器那天有一个野外日）。

Very “Jiangnan” (江南) in style, character and atmosphere, despite being north of the Yangtze; museums galore, temples and a bell tower cradle the river. I avoided the lot, sticking to the wooden walkways that accompanied the river.

尽管位于长江以北，但在风格、性格和氛围上都非常“江南”；博物馆、寺庙和钟楼在河上摇摇摇大。 我避开了地段，坚持沿河的木制人行道。

My destination after walking the circumference of the squared river, a few toilet stops and quick pitstop along the way for a beef kebab, was slap bang in the middle of downtown Nantong and a stone’s throw away from the busy shopping street, although fractionally busy compared to Xinjiekou, where were Nantong’s alleys.

走完方河的周长后，我的目的地是南通市中心，离繁忙的购物街只有一箭之遥，尽管与南通的小巷相比，新街比较繁忙。

These are not your typical inner-city alleys full of life. Most of the long-abandoned buildings here are adorned with the character, “拆”; to be demolished. Aside from these, a historical meeting house here and a “red” tourist sight there, tiny Daoist and Buddhist temples dot these alleys that are almost soulless, eerie in their emptiness. 

这些不是典型的充满生意的内城小巷。 这里大部分废弃已久的建筑都装饰着“拆”字；将被拆除。 除了这些，这里有一个历史悠久的会所和那里有一个“红色”的旅游景点，小道教和佛教寺庙点在这些小巷里，这些小巷几乎没有灵魂，空虚令人毛骨悚然。

Although the occasional e-bike rattles past, it’s the unnerving gazes of the homeless alley cats peering down at me from the roofs of the futureless houses as I meander my way through these mazelike alleys that keep me company. Part of me almost expects to turn a corner and see lavishly dressed couples having their wedding photos done, or even the Taobao models dressed to the nines, in these ancient looking ambient alleys, but I soon realise where I am. This isn’t Nanjing’s Yihe Lu area.

虽然偶尔的电动自行车会摇摇晃晃地过去，但当我蜿蜒穿过这些陪伴我的迷宫般的小巷时，无家可归的小巷猫从无未来的房子的屋顶上偷看我，令人不安的目光。 我的一部分几乎期待着转过一个角落，在这些看起来很古老的环境小巷里，看到穿着奢华的情侣拍婚纱照，甚至淘宝模特打扮得漂漂亮亮的，但我很快就意识到我在哪里。 這不是南京的宜河路地区。

Coffee number three warms my hands up as I ponder a potential final look over the panoramic River Hao and contemplate the 2 years spent here. I think of friends and times gone by. To quote Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. I long to return to the hustle and bustle of Nanjing. I also realise that I’m a very different person to the one who lived here before; I’ve moved on and I’ve got the cat souvenir to prove it.

三号咖啡温暖了我的手，我思考着可能的最后一眼看到全景的郝河，并思考在这里度过的2年。 我想到了朋友和过去的时光。 引用狄更斯的话，“那是最好的时代，也是最糟糕的时代”。 我渴望回到繁華的南京。 我也意識到，我和以前住在这里的人完全不同；我已经继续前进了，我有猫的纪念品来证明这一点。

Much like the start of my day, I remember that I’m almost running late and have places to go, and people to meet. Sightseeing or “sight-remembering” done and dusted, with no time left to head south of the city and take in Wolf Mountain or Bingjiang Park. I quickly remind myself to book my train ticket back to Nanjing, back to home, and I force a smile on my face as I prepare to have my first real human contact of the day; intimidating and territorial alley cats don’t count.

就像我一天的开始一样，我记得我快迟到了，还有地方要去，还有人要见。 观光或“观光回忆”完成并掸去灰尘，没有时间前往城市南部，游览狼山或冰江公园。 我迅速提醒自己预订回南京、回家的火车票，当我准备进行今天第一次真正的人类接触时，我强迫自己脸上露出笑容；恐吓和领地的小巷猫不算在内。

The third coffee of the day (the last one I promise myself) gives me a much-needed buzz as I wait for another Didi to cart me off to where people are waiting for me in a Korean BBQ restaurant.

当天的第三杯咖啡（我向自己保证的最后一杯）给了我一个急需的嗡嗡声，因为我在等待另一个迪迪把我送到人们在韩国烧烤餐厅等我的地方。

I’m not sure what hits you first. Is it the multi-coloured LED lights or is it the waft of something being grilled over hot coals?

我不确定什么首先击中了你。 是五颜六色的LED灯，还是在热煤上烤的东西的烟气？

Whatever it is, it’s welcoming. Open arms welcoming. All I did was turn down a side street to get away from the hustle and bustle of Zhongshan Nan Lu and my senses guided me the rest of the way. 

不管是什么，都是欢迎的。 张开双臂欢迎。 我所做的只是拐下一条小街，远离中山南路的喧嚣，我的感官指引着我走完剩下的路。

Nestled away somewhere, squeezed between the veins and arteries of metro Lines 1 and 3 in Qinhuai District are the capillaries of the city itself. The maze-like “xiangzi” (巷子). 

坐落在秦淮区地铁1号线和3号线的脉络和动脉之间，是城市本身的毛细血管。 迷宫般的“巷子”。

These small alleys of goodness and mystery await. Specific name? It doesn’t matter. Something or other xiang, just follow your nose. Listen closely as the sounds of the encompassing city itself seems to dissipate. 

这些善良和神秘的小巷在等待着。 具体名字？ 没关系。 某物或其他xiang，跟着你的鼻子走。 仔细听，因为环绕的城市本身的声音似乎正在消散。

Is it the smell or is the gut instinct that you just seem to know that it isn’t a left turn, but a right, as you meander your way down the xiangzi looking for that specific tiny tucked away restaurant from a memorable Saturday night a few month ago. These xiangzi seemingly blend into one yet at the same time quite distinct from one another. Good luck trying to find the same one again next weekend though!

是气味还是直觉，你似乎知道这不是左转，而是右转，当你沿着香子蜿蜒而行，寻找几个月前一个难忘的周六晚上的那个特定的小餐厅时。 这些香子似乎融合在一起，但同时又彼此截然不同。 不过，祝你下周末再次尝试找到相同的好运！

烧烤 (BBQ); check. Some sort of 饼 (pancake); check, check. Pick your poision, the xiangzi have it all. Milk tea? I saw a place nearby; order yourself something. Hot Pot? 麻辣烫 (hot spicy soup)? Just around the corner. Mandatory folding wooden table, bingo. Plastic green stools; oxymoronic in their ever-fragile yet sturdy nature, unstacked as you and your friends wander over; you know it’s going to be a good one.

烧烤（BBQ）；检查。 某种饼（煎饼）；检查，检查。 挑选你的药水，香子拥有一切。 奶茶？ 我在附近看到了一个地方；自己点点东西吧。 火锅？ 麻辣烫（辣汤）？ 就在拐角处。 强制折叠木桌，宾果。 塑料绿色凳子；矛盾的矛盾，其脆弱但坚固的性质，当你和你的朋友漫步时，解开；你知道这将是一个好凳子。

For a brief period, from the time you first walk down the xiangzi, sit down on those plastic green stools, until you navigate your way out to the nearest metro station or convenient place to call a taxi, you are part of something larger. This is my community. The community of the downtown city. The community of the xiangzi. 

在很短的时间内，从你第一次走下香子，坐在那些塑料绿色凳子上，直到你导航到最近的地铁站或方便叫出租车的地方，你就是更大事物的一部分。 这是我的社区。 市中心的社区。 香子社区。

What was it Bourdain (R.I.P.) said; “This is the China you first fell in love with. Walk down the street and look in any direction, and there’s something to eat. I may not know what it is immediately, but the chances are it’s good”.

Bourdain（R.I.P.）说：“这是你第一次爱上的中国。 走在街上，往任何方向看，都有吃的。 我可能不会马上知道它是什么，但很有可能是好的。”

Something to drink? It has to be 冰的 (cold) for me. The clinking sound of the bottle being 打开 (opened) alongside the sizzling of whatever skewer of meat and vegetables are being barbecued close by, I equate that sound to the ding dong of my parents’ doorbell. This is a safe space. This is one of my homes and away from home. 

喝点什么吗？ 对我来说，它一定是冰的（冷）。 瓶子被打开（打开）的叮当声，以及附近烤肉串的肉和蔬菜的嘶嘶声，我把这声音等同于我父母的门铃的叮咚。 这是一个安全的空间。 这是我离家不远的家之一。

I raise a glass (they’re always small aren’t they?) to the table of chain-smoking and 瓜子(sunflower seeds) munching uncles across from me. The usual question follow; “Where are you from?”, “Do you like China?”, “你习惯了吗?” (are you used to it?). There’s only one question that matters tonight; chilli, and lots of it please my friend.

我举杯（它们总是很小，不是吗？） 到我对面的吸烟和瓜子（葵花籽）咀嚼叔叔的桌子。 通常的问题如下：“你来自哪里？”，“你喜欢中国吗？”，“你习惯了吗？” （你习惯了吗？）。 今晚只有一个问题很重要；辣椒，很多，请取悦我的朋友。

I wash down the 烧烤料 (BBQ condiments) infused 牛肉串 (beef skewers) and enoki (“see you tomorrow mushrooms, a personal favourite of mine) and it’s on to the next. Another xiangzi? Let’s wander. The lights are getting dimmer, the shadows are closing in, not to worry. 

我洗了烧烤料（烧烤调味品），注入了牛肉串（牛肉串）和enoki（“明天见蘑菇，我个人的最爱），然后继续下一个。 另一个香子？ 我们四处闲逛吧。 灯光越来越暗，阴影越来越近，不用担心。

Whatever background, colour of skin or creed, the xiangzi welcomes you. All members of the echelons of society are here. iPhone 15 Pro Max, Prada bag, beer belly hanging out, everyone is welcome. 

无论背景、肤色或信仰如何，香子都欢迎你。 社会阶层的所有成员都在这里。iPhone 15 Pro Max，普拉达包，啤酒肚闲逛，欢迎所有人。

Whatever the weather, the xiangzi await. Hot, humid and sweaty summer? They’re open, the ever-so slightly summer evening will cool you off. Freezing cold winter night, they’re still open. Just make sure to wrap that scarf around your neck and sip on this bowl of brothy soup while we wait for our skewers. 

不管天气如何，香子都在等着。 炎热、潮湿、汗流浹背的夏天？ 他们开着，夏天的夜晚会让你降温。 寒冷的冬夜，他们仍然开着。 只要确保把围巾围在脖子上，在我们等待烤串时啜饮这碗肉汤。

Don’t fancy barbecue? I spy a noodle stall! Wantons? Try next door. Want something a little bit more local? 鸭血粉丝汤 (duck-blood vermicelli soup) is just opposite. These capillaries, these xiangzi, the lifeblood of that small part of Qianhuai District in Nanjing, or in any major city in fact, are packed to the brim, but not uncomfortably so. This isn’t 玄武门 (Xuanwu Men) during Golden Week. 

不喜欢烧烤吗？ 我偷看了一个面条摊！ 旺顿？ 试试隔壁。 想要更本地一点的东西吗？ 鸭血粉丝汤（鸭血粉丝汤）正好相反。 这些毛细血管，这些香子，是南京前怀区那一小部分的命脉，或者事实上在任何大城市，都挤得满满的，但并不令人不舒服。 这不是黄金周期间的玄武门。

Let’s float down the length of each one, maze-like, like we’re in a Wong Kar-wai film; with the eerie-paced synth music echoing around inside our heads. The LED signs of the 兰州拉面 (Lanzhou noodles) restaurant on my left and the duck-blood soup restaurant on my right permeate through the smoke and stream of the nearby stuffed oysters being grilled over charcoal. 

让我们像迷宫一样漂浮在每个长度上，就像我们在Wong Kar-wai电影中一样；诡异的节奏合成器音乐在我们的脑海中回荡。 我左边的兰州拉面（兰州面条）餐厅和右边的鸭血汤餐厅的LED标志渗透到附近用木炭烤制的塞牡蛎的烟雾和溪流中。

Paraphrasing the American author James A. Michener, “If you reject the food, ignore the customs and avoid the people, you might better stay at home”. This is my mantra, these are the words I live by. 

转述美国作家James A. Michener的话，“如果你拒绝食物，无视习俗，避开人们，你最好呆在家里。” 这是我的口头禅，这些是我生活的话语。

Now everyone, scoot your plastic green stools in a little, a car is squeezing perilously past. 

现在，各位，把你们的塑料绿色凳子放在一点上，一辆汽车正在危险地挤过去。

First things first, my eldest cat; yes, my eldest (human children are somewhere on the horizon as of yet), had visited Nanjing long before I did, albeit sat waiting on the tarmac of Lukou International Airport in the hold of the diverted 747. 

首先，我的大猫；是的，我的大猫（人类的孩子还在某处），在我之前很久就访问了南京，尽管坐在鹿口国际机场的停机坪上，在改道的747的车位上等待。

This was 2 years before I was able to call this city home; my sole feline child at the time was in Nanjing without me due to the horrendous thunder, lightning and torrential rain that plagues this part of the Middle Kingdom every summer. Meanwhile, I was sat waiting in Nantong, somewhat full of worry; the cat and my partner diverted further up the Yangtze to wait out the typhoon wreaking havoc above me. 

这是我能够把这座城市称为家的2年；当时我唯一的猫科动物孩子在南京，没有我，因为每年夏天都会遭受可怕的雷声、闪电和暴雨，困扰着中王国的这一地区。 与此同时，我坐在南通等待，有些担心；猫和我的伙伴进一步绕到长江上，等待台风在我上方肆虐。

Slipper, named so as the tiny and adorable rescue kitten used to crawl into my slippers and sleep there (apologies for the smell), has been with us for over 6 years now. 

拖鞋，以小而可爱的救援小猫命名，曾经爬进我的拖鞋里睡在那里（对气味表示歉意），已经和我们在一起6年多了。

Much like my original plan of staying in China for no more than a year, we never planned on taking on a pet, but she entered our lives in Chengdu and melted our hearts instantly. 

就像我最初在中国停留不超过一年的计划一样，我们从未打算养宠物，但她走进了我们在成都的生活，瞬间融化了我们的心。

We practically hand raised her, waking up every other hour to bottle feed her and clean her (she couldn’t even climb into her litter box; she was that small and precious). So, when I refer to her as my eldest, she really is. She even still sleeps with the same pink blanket that we used when we rescued her; it has been washed, I promise.

我们几乎用手把她抬起来，每隔一小时就醒来用奶瓶喂她并清洗她（她甚至不能爬进她的猫砂盒；她又小又珍贵）。 所以，当我称她为我的长子时，她真的是。 她甚至仍然睡在我们救她时用的那条粉红色毯子；它已经洗过了，我保证。

It hasn’t always been such a positive and romanticised experience as a “cat dad”; when we took Slipper to get spayed, I mean it when I say that it was like something out of a horror film. After being given a general anaesthetic, the cuteness of having her tongue peeking out of her mouth soon dissipated when we were given the option of watching the surgery through clear Perspex glass. 

作为“猫爸爸”，这并不总是如此积极和浪漫的经历；当我们带着拖鞋去绝育时，我说这就像恐怖电影里的东西，我是认真的。 在接受全身麻醉后，当我们可以选择通过透明的有形玻璃观看手术时，她的舌头从嘴里探出头来的可爱很快就消散了。

The vet even proudly showed off Slipper’s removed ovaries and uterus to us through the glass; needless to say, there was no liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti for a while after that.

兽医甚至通过玻璃自豪地向我们展示了拖鞋切除的卵巢和子宫；不用说，在那之后有一段时间，没有肝脏和一些蚕豆和美味的基安蒂。

Vet trips are still a nightmare for me, so it’s been a blessing that some offer home visits for cats’ annual vaccinations. 

兽医之旅对我来说仍然是一场噩梦，所以有些人为猫的年度疫苗接种提供家访，真是一件好事。

When we decided to leave Chengdu in 2021 and relocate to Nantong, it was obvious Slipper would join us in the move. As we packed up our belongings, she was oblivious to what was going on, but she did seem to enjoy hiding in every single box we packed. If she could have hidden away in a box of books or cutlery, she would have. Despite being diverted to Nanjing (and adding on at least another 4 hours of waiting and travel time), Slipper was proudly the first passenger off the plane, going around the carousal while all others stood waiting gloomily and restless for their luggage to arrive. 

当我们决定在2021年离开成都搬到南通时，很明显，Slipper会和我们一起搬家。 当我们收拾东西时，她忘记了发生了什么，但她似乎确实喜欢躲在我们打包的每个箱子里。 如果她能藏在书盒或餐具里，她会的。 尽管被改道前往南京（并增加了至少4个小时的等待和旅行时间），但Slipper自豪地是第一个下飞机的乘客，绕着旋转木车行驶，而其他人则忧郁不安地站着等待他们的行李到达。

My youngest, Mickey, was once again an unexpected and “unplanned” addition. 

我最小的孩子Mickey再次是一个意想不到的“计划外”的补充。

He joined our little family only a mere month in to our tenure in Nantong, meaning that our UK-Sichuan clan was completed by a Jiangsunese. He was on death’s door when we found him, or he found us, as his poorly and starving cries stopped us dead in our tracks as we carried home our latest online shopping purchases. His overly large ears and sharp, thin face (no longer thin anymore; he’s a real chonk now) reminded us a certain cartoon mouse; hey presto, Mickey!

他在南通任职仅一个月就加入了我们的小家庭，这意味着我们的英国-四川氏族是由一个江苏人完成的。 当我们找到他时，他正处于死亡的门口，或者他找到了我们，因为当我们把最新的网上购物物品带回家时，他可怜和饥饿的哭声让我们停在了脚步。 他过大的耳朵和锋利、瘦弱的脸（不再瘦了；他现在是一个真正的小人物）让我们想起了某个卡通老鼠；嘿，Presto，Mickey！

When we first brought him home, and after giving him a quick wipe down wash, we realised he wasn’t in the best of shape. Stick thin and barely able to walk, our local vet warned us that he might not survive the week. Mickey became quite the regular in that vet’s clinic; costing us a small fortune with his innumerous tests, check ups and medicine galore. But we, and Mickey himself, persevered and he finally started to work his way up to a healthy weight.

当我们第一次把他带回家，快速给他擦洗后，我们意识到他的状态不是很好。 我们当地的兽医警告我们，他可能活不了这一周，他瘦弱，几乎不能走路。 米奇成为那家兽医诊所的常客；他做了无数的检查、检查和大量的药物，花费了我们一笔小钱。 但我们和米奇本人坚持不懈，他终于开始努力提高到健康的体重。

He didn’t stop there… He’s now a healthy, chubby and incredibly needy cat, living, and annoying his elder sister, in Nanjing. 

他并没有止步于此……他现在是一只健康、胖乎乎的、非常需要的猫，住在南京，惹恼他的姐姐。

When the time came for Mickey to get neutered, flashbacks plagued me of being shown removed organs, and I really felt sorry for the little lad. 

当米奇被绝育的时候，闪回困扰着我被展示切除器官，我真的为这个小男孩感到难过。

I opted out of that particular excursion to the vets but made sure that his Elizabethan collar was ready at hand when he returned home. 

我选择不去看兽医，但确保当他回家时，他的伊丽莎白式项圈已经准备好。

Having two cats hasn’t always been hunky dory living in China. Being on the other side of the country from my in laws, and not wanting to bother my colleagues, has meant that travelling for more than a long weekend away; hiking around Hunan last summer and then finally back to the U.K. this past summer, has meant that we’ve had to find “cat hotels”. 

在中国，养两只猫并不总是大亨多利的生活。 与我岳父岳母在国外，不想打扰我的同事，这意味着旅行超过一个长周末；去年夏天在湖南徒步旅行，然后去年夏天最后回到英国，这意味着我们必须找到“猫酒店”。

This entailed visiting the pussycat pads beforehand, almost going through an interview-like process with the would-be carers. 

这需要事先参观猫咪垫，几乎要经历一个类似面试的过程。

Fresh and clean water daily? Check. Litter cleaning when needed? Check. Lots of fuss and bothering the cats? Check check. 

每天新鲜干净的水？ 检查。 必要时清理垃圾？ 检查。 很多大惊小怪和打扰猫？ 检查检查。

Food provided? No! Predominantly, most of the cat hotels we’ve visited (and booked our pampered pusses into) have required that bags of cat biscuits, meat and other treats we brought in with the cats; and they can be very picky with what actual brands are being eaten. One specific cat hotel back in Nantong refused to house Slipper as at the time she ate Whiskas cat biscuits; Mickey was on a special gastroenteritis specific diet at the time on vet’s orders! That all meant that if we had chosen that particular cattery, the “sick” cat would have been allowed to stay, but the healthy” cat not… all because of the brand of biscuits! 

提供食物了吗？ 不！ 主要是，我们去过的大多数猫酒店（并预订了我们被宠爱的猫）都要求我们和猫一起带的猫饼干、肉和其他零食；他们可能对实际吃什么品牌非常挑剔。 南通的一家特定猫酒店拒绝容纳Slipper，因为她当时吃Whiskas猫饼干；Mickey当时根据兽医的命令，正在吃特殊的胃肠炎饮食！ 这一切都意味着，如果我们选择了那个特定的猫科，“生病”的猫会被允许留下来，但健康的“猫不会……都是因为饼干的品牌！

We quickly went onto the next “interview” and all’s well that ends well; we enjoyed our couple of weeks sweating away in Hunan in the middle of July, while Slipper and Mickey lapped up 2 weeks of luxury, with all the mods cons included.

我们迅速进入下一次“面试”，一切都很好，结局很好；7月中旬，我们享受了在湖南汗流浃背的几周，而Slipper和Mickey享受了2周的奢华，包括所有模组缺点。

We’ve made promises to ourselves that we won’t let another ball of fur sway us over and “trick” us into rescuing them; but for the time being we’re happy to be the shit shovelers (chǎn shǐ guān; 铲屎官)  in our own house, or the cats’ house if we would believe them, as well as living the fat cat lifestyle (māo féi jiā rùn; 猫肥家润) for the foreseeable future.

我们向自己承诺，我们不会让另一团毛皮摇晃我们，并“欺骗”我们拯救它们；但就目前而言，我们很高兴成为自己家里的铲屎人（chǎn shǐ guān；铲屎官），或者如果我们相信它们的话，猫的话，以及在可预见的将来过着肥猫的生活方式（māo féi jiā rùn；猫肥家润）的生活。