where does the term "it is raining cats and dogs" come from?

Answer 1

Raining cats and dogs Meaning Raining very heavily.

This is an interesting phrase in that, although there's no definitive origin, there are several speculative derivations.

Before we get to those, lets get some of the dafter suggestions out of the way.

The phrase seems isn't related to the well-known antipathy between dogs and cats, which is made word in the phrase "fight like cat and dog". Aside from the presence of cat and dog in the phrase, there's nothing at all to connect their fighting with raining.

Nor is the phrase in any sense literal, i.e. recording the fact that cats and dogs fell from the sky. Numbers of small creatures, of the size of frogs or fish, do occasionally get carried skywards in freak weather. That must happen to individual dogs or cats from time to time too, but there's no record of groups of them being scooped up in that way. Not that we'd need meteorological record for that - it's plainly implausible.

In fact "raining cats and dogs" makes sense figuratively and the explanations below that attempt to link the phrase to felines, canines and weather seem rather feeble.

Here goes though - take your pick:

It comes from mythology. Witches, who often took the form of their familiars - cats, are supposed to have ridden the wind. Dogs and wolves were attendants to Odin, the god of storms and sailors associated them with rain. Well, some evidence would be nice. There doesn't appear to be any to support this notion.


Cats and dogs were supposed to be washed from roofs during heavy weather. This is a widely repeated tale. It got a lease of life with the message "Life in the 1500s", which began circulating on the Internet in 1999. Here's the relevant part of that:

I'll describe their houses a little. You've heard of thatch roofs, well that's all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. They were the only place for the little animals to get warm. So all the pets; dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery so sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Thus the saying, "it's raining cats and dogs."

This is nonsense of course. It hardly needs debunking, but, lest there be any doubt...

Dogs lived in thatched roofs? No, of course they didn't. Even accepting that mad idea, for them to have slipped off when it rained they would have needed to be on the outside - hardly the place an animal would head for to shelter from bad weather.


The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century when city streets were filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals.

The idea that seeing dead cats and dogs floating by in storms would cause people to coin this phrase is just about believable. People may not have actually thought the animals had come from the sky, but might have made up the phrase to suit the occasion.


Another suggestion is that it comes from a version of the French word, catadoupe, meaning waterfall.

Well, again. No evidence. If the phrase were 'raining cats' or if there also existed a French word, dogadoupe we might be going somewhere with this one. As there isn't lets pass this by.
Returning to facts rather than idle speculation, we do know that the phrase was in use in a modified form in 1653, when Richard Brome's The City Wit, has the line:

"It shall raine ... Dogs and Polecats".

Polecats aren't cats as such but the jump between them in linguistic rather than veterinary terms isn't large.

In a form more like the current version it appears in Jonathan Swift’s 'A Complete Collection of Polite and Ingenious Conversation' in 1738:

"I know Sir John will go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs".

More likely than any of the versions given above is that this is just a nice descriptive turn of phrase, which doesn't relate to any particular event or practise.

There's a similar phrase originating from the north of England - "it's raining stair-rods". No one has gone to the effort of speculating that this is from mythic reports of stairs being carried into the air in storms and falling on gullible peasants. Its just a rather good vivid phrase giving a graphic impression of heavy rain.

Another similar phrase is "it’s raining like pitchforks", the first known reference of which is D. Humphreys' Yankey in England, 1815:

"I'll be even with you, if it rains pitchforks - tines downwards."

Answer 2

We have all heard the expression "it's raining cats and dogs." There are several theories about this rainfall saying. It is possible that the word cat is derived from the Greek word 'catadupe' meaning 'waterfall.' Or it could be raining 'cata doxas,' which is Latin for 'contrary to experience,' or an unusual fall of rain.

In Northern mythology the cat is supposed to have great influence on the weather, and English sailors still say the cat has a gale of wind in her tail when she is unusually frisky. Witches that rode upon the storms were said to assume the form of cats; and the stormy northwest wind is called the cat's nose in the Harz mountains even at the present day. The dog is a signal of wind, like the wolf. Both animals were attendants of Odin, the storm-god. In old German pictures the wind is figured as the "head of a dog or wolf," from which blasts issue. The cat therefore symbolizes the down-pouring of rain, and the dog the strong gusts of wind that accompany a rainstorm; and a rain of "cats and dogs" is a heavy rain with wind.

Answer 3

The most common one says that in olden occasions, homes had thatched roofs in which home animals comparable to cats and puppies want to conceal. In heavy rain, the animals would either be washed out of the thatch, or quickly abandon it for higher safe haven, so it might seem to be raining cats and puppies. Different recommendations include derivation from an unspecified Greek aphorism that was once equivalent in sound and which intended “an not going occurrence”, or that it is a corrupted variant of a infrequent French phrase, catadoupe, which means a waterfall. It has additionally been steered that at one time the streets of British towns were so poorly developed that many cats and puppies would drown each time there was a storm; individuals seeing the corpses floating by using would feel that they had fallen from the sky, just like the proverbial rains of frogs. The most favoured one in the references i have discovered is mythological. It sounds as if cats had been at one time suggestion to have affect over storms, above all by means of sailors, and that dogs were symbols of storms, customarily accompanying pix and descriptions of the Norse storm god Odin. So when some specially violent tempest appeared, folks advised it was once triggered via cats (bringing the rain) and dogs (the wind).

Answer 4

The such a lot average one says that during olden occasions, properties had thatched roofs where home animals akin to cats and puppies might like to cover. In heavy rain, the animals might both be washed out of the thatch, or quickly abandon it for larger refuge, so it might look to be raining cats and puppies. Other ideas incorporate derivation from an unspecified Greek aphorism that was once identical in sound and which supposed “an not going prevalence”, or that this is a corrupted variation of a infrequent French phrase, catadoupe, that means a waterfall. It has additionally been steered that at one time the streets of British cities had been so poorly built that many cats and puppies might drown each time there was once a hurricane; persons seeing the corpses floating by means of might consider they'd fallen from the sky, just like the proverbial rains of frogs. The such a lot favoured one within the references I have observed is mythological. It turns out that cats had been at one time concept to have affect over storms, certainly by means of sailors, and that puppies had been symbols of storms, mainly accompanying photographs and outlines of the Norse hurricane god Odin. So while a few specifically violent tempest seemed, persons steered it was once prompted by means of cats (bringing the rain) and puppies (the wind).

Answer 5

The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century when city streets were filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals.

The idea that seeing dead cats and dogs floating by in storms would cause people to coin this phrase is just about believable. People may not have actually thought the animals had come from the sky, but might have made up the phrase to suit the occasion.

Answer 6

It is of eastern European dialect. The homes were built very close together(has nothing to do with straw roofs) pets were often allowed to run upon and across roof tops when it would rain particularly hard it would wash the cats and dogs of the roof tops. Hence its raining cats and dogs. What the heck was the other guy going on about debunking?

Answer 7

Back in the oldin' days (usually in Europe) peasant homes had straw like material for roofs. The local cats and dogs would lay up on the roof tops and when it rained sometimes the roof would give and the dogs and cats would fall in. So when it rained hard people would say it "rained cats and dogs".

Answer 8

this is just my version since the real ones don't sound none too likely too me i think it started off as a joke like one day there was a really bad storm(people at that time usually worked on the land)so anyway they all took shelter in the house however it got that bad that all the farm cats and dogs wanted shelter so they came scratching and barking at the door to get in .so to lighten the tension a bit (cos they would be worrying about the crop being ruined)someone said OMG its raining cats an dogs now .and it caught on from there

Answer 9

•••Mott•••
My friend just called to tell me its raining cats and dogs?
I went outside and sure there is alot of water barreling down from the sky, water everywhere- But I can't see any cats or dogs!
I don't even hear a solitary bark or a meow.
Is there something wrong with me?

1 month ago

Answer 10

From England. When the dwellings used have cane or similar roofs, cats and dogs used to live and spend time on this roofs. During heavy downpours, these cane roofs become slippery causing its inhabitants - the cats and dogs - slip and fall from the roof. This is the story of the clause.

Answer 11

Yeah, what he said! Here's a fun one. Ever hear the expression, "don't throw the baby out with the bath water"? That comes from when families used to bathe only 1 a week (maybe) and all use the same bath water. Started with dad, mom, kids, the last was the youngest. The water was so black and grimy you couldn't see anything...hence...don't throw the baby out with the bath water.