why did curiosity kill the cat? why not the dog or the jackalope?

Question

why the cat?
cats aren't my favorite but, why did they choose cats?

Answer 1

Cause it sounds catchy

Answer 2

This is actually a misconception. Most people assume it was the cat's curiosity that killed it. This is not the case. It all comes from the story of Schrödinger's cat. (answer bellow)

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A cat is placed in a sealed box. Attached to the box is an apparatus containing a radioactive nucleus and a canister of poison gas. This apparatus is separated from the cat in such a way that the cat can in no way interfere with it. The experiment is set up so that there is exactly a 50% chance of the nucleus decaying in one hour. If the nucleus decays, it will emit a particle that triggers the apparatus, which opens the canister and kills the cat. If the nucleus does not decay, then the cat remains alive. According to quantum mechanics, the unobserved nucleus is described as a superposition (meaning it exists partly as each simultaneously) of "decayed nucleus" and "undecayed nucleus". However, when the box is opened the experimenter sees only a "decayed nucleus/dead cat" or an "undecayed nucleus/living cat."
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So it was Schrödinger's curiosity that killed the cat. The reason his curiosity didn't kill a jackalope or dog was because all he had was a cat.

Answer 3

Are you asking why Curiosity didn't kill the dog or the Jackalope or are you asking why not the Dog or Jackalope killing the Cat?

Answer 4

I don't know if there is any story behind the saying, but I have a cat and have to say it is more than curious. You may make water fall on her when she is doing something she shouldn't (it is something that cats hate) that she does not care, she will go back once and another. So I am afraid that, no matter how dangerous the place they want to explore is, they will come back again and again and probably be killed in their way....

Answer 5

You must not have a cat. They are very curious. Mine do stupid things like fall off the porch trying to spy on the neighbors below, sniffing candles, crawling inside plastic bags to play, trying to climb up cabinets as high as they can get, eating flowers and plants. So far we've been lucky, but I can see where the saying came from.

Answer 6

Same reason they decided cats have 9 lives (someone must've had trouble taking a cat's only one), because in society, there is a general dislike for cats (not every person dislikes them, but a lot do).

Answer 7

Cats are both intelligent and curious by nature.
Dogs not so much...
Jackalopes are figments of your imagination

Answer 8

1. Cats are curious.
2. The alliteration sounds better. Say this aloud to yourself:
CURIOSITY KILLED THE DOG.
CURIOSITY KILLED THE JACKALOPE.

None of those have the alliterative sound that "Curiosity killed the cat" has.

Answer 9

Because cats are the most curious creatures! There's this cat that hangs around my house and looks in my windows...I leave it alone but when my neighbor found it by his house he kicked it and almost killed it!

Answer 10

Ignorance killed the Cat.... Curiosity just got blamed!

Answer 11

It's alliteration...where two words start with the same sound... In this case...Curiosity and Cat both have the "k" sound... giving it a similar sound. "D"og or "J"ackalope...just doesn't sound right. Besides the fact that cats are by nature always sticking their nose into anything new to make sure it's welcome in its Domain.