(いわてだいがく)

Iwate University

(ねこ)

cat

(ごはん)

meal, food, cooked rice

(のこす)

to leave behind, to leave uneaten

(におい)

smell; scent; aroma

(なれる)

to get used to; to become accustomed

(ふしぎ)

mysterious, strange, wonder

(おもう)

to think

(おおい)

many

(けんきゅう)

research, study

(ぐるーぷ)

group

(ひき)

counter for small animals/fish

(しらべる)

to investigate; to survey

(かい)

time(s), counter for occurrences

(しょくじ)

meal

(あげる)

to lift, to raise

(おなじ)

same

(りょう)

Quantity; amount; volume

(たべる)

to eat

(へる)

to decrease / to diminish

(だんだん)

gradually

(べつ)

another; different

(かえる)

to change

(ふえる)

to increase; to grow

(ちがう)

to differ; to be different

(おなか)

stomach, belly

(いっぱい)

full; a lot

(ぺっとふーど)

pet food

(つくる)

to make

(ゆたか)

rich, abundant, plentiful

(はなす)

to speak, talk

(うち)

one's home, house

I wonder why/whether ...

のだ (explanatory) + ろう (conjecture) + か (question). Used for rhetorical or genuine wondering. Often seen in written or reflective contexts.

to think that

In '増えていくと思います' – 'I think (they) will continue to increase'. Used to express opinion.

to continue doing ...

Verb stem + 続ける expresses continuing an action. The て-form あげ続ける means 'continue giving'. A common compound verb pattern.

when ..., if ... (natural consequence)

Conditional と indicating that when one thing happens, another naturally follows. States general truths, habitual results, or inevitable consequences.

the reason ~ is because ~

Explains the reason for something. The price dropped because the government sold cheap rice to supermarkets.

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

because ～

Provides a reason or cause.

岩手大学「猫がごはんを残すのは匂いに慣れるからだ」

Iwate University: "Cats leave food because they get used to the smell"

「なぜ、うちの猫はごはんを残すのだろうか」と不思議に思っている人も多いと思います。

I think many people wonder, "Why does my cat leave its food?"

岩手大学の研究グループは、12匹の猫で、調べました。

A research group at Iwate University conducted a study with 12 cats.

6回、食事をあげます。

They gave the cats food six times.

同じ食事をあげ続けると、猫が食べる量は、だんだん減ります。

When the same food is given repeatedly, the amount the cats eat gradually decreases.

しかし、6回目、別の食事に変えると、食べる量が増えました。

However, on the sixth time, when the food was changed to a different one, the amount they ate increased.

同じ食事でも、違う匂いに変えると、食べる量は増えました。

Even with the same food, when the smell was changed, the amount they ate increased.

研究グループは、猫はお腹がいっぱいだからではなく、匂いに慣れたから食べなくなったと言っています。

The research group says the cats stopped eating not because they were full, but because they had gotten used to the smell.

そして、「ペットフードをつくるときに、匂いについても考えると、猫の食事が豊かになると思います」と話しています。

They also said, "When making pet food, if you also think about the smell, I think cats' meals will become richer."