Snopes acknowledges that cats could “upon extremely rare instances accidentally cause a death” by smothering, but cats do not do it “with malice aforethought.”

Snopes 承认， 猫可能会“在极其罕见的情况下意外导致死亡”，因为窒息，但猫不会“出于恶意” 这样做。

If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought.

若是报血仇的追了他来，长老不可将他交在报血仇的手里，因为他是素无仇恨、无心杀了人的。

Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought.

免得报血仇的，心中火热追赶他，因路远就追上将他杀死，其实他不该死，因为他与被杀的素无仇恨。