Where did the phrase, It is raining cats and dogs originate, and why?

Answer 1

When people's houses used to be covered in thatch, household pets such as cats and dogs would often climb up into the thatch during the day because it was warm. When rain began to fall, the animals would hurry out of the thatch, ofen by jumping to the ground below.

Answer 2

Merry old England.
In ye old days houses had thatch roofs with rafters and beams holding them up.
Many domestic animals like cats, and wilder animals like rats mice and squirrels would live in these rafters.
When it rained, the rain soaked through, making the beams slippery and causing the furry little critters to slip and fall.
Dogs probably never lived in the roof, but got included, cause it sounded more catchy.
Thus if it rained a lot, it rains cats and dogs.

Answer 3

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/raining%20cats%20and%20dogs.html

The above site thinks it's a made up phrase for a heavy downfall. A form of it (raining dogs and polecats) was used as early as 1653 in England. Jonathan Swift used it in 1738. The internet story about dogs and cats making their homes in thatched roofs and falling in during a storm is false.

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-rai1.htm says pretty much the same thing:
"There are other similes which employ falls of improbable objects as figurative ways of expressing the sensory overload of noise and confusion that can occur during a violent rainstorm; people have said that it’s raining like pitchforks (first recorded in 1815), hammer handles, and even chicken coops. It’s probable that the version with cats and dogs fits into this model, without needing to invoke supernatural beliefs or inadequate drainage."

Answer 4

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.

Answer 5

When roofs were made of straw and what not in peasant villages cats and dogs would climb up into the straw and roof material. when it would rain the cats and dogs would come out or fall out.

so hence.. Its raining cats and dogs!

Answer 6

in Malaysia, because there it actually rains cats and dogs.

Answer 7

IN THE MOVIES