I understand why it was said a cat has more than 1 life, but why the number 9? Where'd it come from?
2006-09-19 15:12:42 · 10 answers · asked by Gryphon 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
"Attempts have been made to trace the origin of the common expression back to ancient Egypt. It is often said that Pasht, or Bastet, the cat-headed goddess of Egypt, had nine lives and that this circumstance gave rise to the old saying about a cat having nine lives. Egyptologists, however, say that they have found no evidence for the statement. In fact Bastet, being a goddess, would be regarded as immortal. Nine, however, was a favorite number in Egypt, as well as with other ancient orientals, and it may have somehow been associated with the cat-headed goddess."
2006-09-19 15:23:21 · answer #1 · answered by Jack Spam 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cats and the nine lives theory is well-known around the world. While it's obviously impossible to have that many lives, cats do seem to fiercely cling on to the one life they have.
This nine lives thing may have come about as a result of people noticing how often cats manage to have all sorts of accidents and still come out smiling (even when limping)!
Nine has always been a mystical number (like the Trinity of Trinities, the luckiest of numbers), and it's possible that the aura of mystery and magic that has always surrounded cats led to this theory.
Just to consider the cat's righting reflex, and imagine how weird that might have seemed to a cat owner in the Middle Ages----who had no clue to the cat's biology. They definitely would have thought it was supernatural!
2006-09-19 21:25:11 · answer #2 · answered by Turtle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
9 was considered a lucky number because it's the trinity of trinity; 3x3=9.
In some cultures, 9 is meaningless and cats only have 7 lives.
2006-09-19 15:15:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a lot of human beings have responded properly already... that's the two 19 or 20, based on how we interpret the question. in case you have an interest, right this is yet in any different case to count type it: First, word that the two 0 and one hundred comprise no 9s, so including 0 to the record and removing one hundred does no longer something. additionally, write 0 as 00, one million as 01, etc. so as that each type has 2 digits. There are one hundred 2-digit numbers, so a entire of two*one hundred = 2 hundred digits. each digit seems the comparable volume of situations, so 9 seems 2 hundred / 10 = 20 situations.
2016-10-15 04:48:42 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Old China Man said that in the book of cats. It came from China in1727 ad. man nameed Confuseious said a cat has 9 souls. in english it ment 9 lives!
2006-09-19 15:20:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
coz 9 is the biggest 1 diggit number.
2006-09-19 19:55:20 · answer #6 · answered by nina21286 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No-one knows 1 myth is because they always land on their feet, even from great heights.
another saying is ;Cats have 9 lives----3 they play 3 they stray 3 they stay,
dunno i guess,
2006-09-19 15:25:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because cats always seem to NOT get hurt when the fall or do crazy things
2006-09-19 15:52:36 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because there was once a cat and it got hurt really bad 9 times before it died...duh
2006-09-19 15:15:13 · answer #9 · answered by kcbubbles411 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I think someone made it up and people just started saying it. IMO
2006-09-19 15:21:01 · answer #10 · answered by Josh S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋