Why are cats said to have nine lives in their lifetime?

Question

A myth only? A famous saying only? Please answer in terms of what u know about cats and "nine lives" part. U may relate it to cats' stories, or perhaps any ghost stories that u've read which contains "Cats have 9 lives" part.

Answer 1

its because they get lucky a lot. one time my cat fell out of a second story window, landed on a pole on a chain link fence (metal) and then got up ran to the front of the house and was unscathed.

Answer 2

There's this story a friend told me:

A very hungry cat entered a house one day and found a plate of nine fish that were going to be eaten for dinner by the nine starving children who lived there. The cat was feeling a little selfish that day and ate up all of the fish in nine quick bites. With no food on the table, the nine starving children died of hunger the very next day, along with the cat who died from eating WAY too much. When the cat went up to heaven and spoke with God, God was so angry with the cat that he threw him out of heaven and made him fall for nine days all the way back to earth. To this day, the cat still holds the nine lives of the starving children in his belly, which is why he must die nine different times before he will stay dead.

But basically, the impression that "a cat has nine lives" came up because cats always lands on their feets from dangerous heights and still miraculously survive.

Answer 3

To add to what Norman777 said which i agree with. I was curious about the whole balance thing and many say it has to do with the cats tail. Not true. There is a cat breed out there that doesn't have a tail and copes very well. Studies shown that a cat actually uses it's sight first and foremost for balancing. It's like a spirit level. It keeps its self aligned with the horizon and then rectifies itself. Experiments were done where they dropped cats from a certain height onto a soft landing and the results were that cats with no tails and deaf cats landed on their feet just fine. But when they blindfolded the cat it struggled to find direction and didn't quite land on its feet.

Answer 4

The reason we say that cats have nine lives is because their amazing ability of it's body to bend in the most versatile position and it's flexibility. When a cat falls from a higher level, say a table or even the window from the 1st floor, you will see how aerodynamically it is able to bend it's versatile body and land on it's own four feet.
This has remained a common saying or rumor that cats have 9 lives.

Answer 5

Cat's have nine lives I heard because of the fact they can land on their feet. Which means that if a fall from a long distance would hurt most any other animal or human a cat will more than likely survive.

Answer 6

Hi West-East,
Have cats and can share many
stories, in addition, years ago,
a documentary was made about
this very theme (could not find it)
(I think it was the BBC, or Natgeo).
In any case, they discovered amazing
things, to start their skeletal constitution
is such, that it allows them movements
that no other has. Therefore, if they fall
they automatically place their bodies in
the best 'landing' position. As well, the
higher the fall (within reason) the less
fractures. When they showed them in
slo-mo, it was simply breathtaking
so see them - beauty in motion!
Then they have the predator instinct
which is unlike any other. They can
smell 'trouble' or 'goodies' well ahead
of others - they are sort of a thermometer.
I can even predict when there will be storms
without watching the weatherman, just by
watching my cat. They are extremely loyal
to you in direct proportion to your abilities,
and care for them. They are very independent
and you must respect this. And very intelligent.
They know when they have crossed the
boundaries with you, and will wait a while,
and them come to apologize.
I wish you could track down that documentary
as it will give you a scientific insight into them.
And it was beautifully filmed as well.
So,in short, their ability to survive situations
that others can´t, surely measures to the
saying they have nine lives.
Hope this helps a bit....

Answer 7

Well I heard that cat are said to have nine lives because of the many falls from high places that normally who be hard to survive from they seem to land on their feet in fine condition.

Answer 8

Because 9 is the most number of kittens they can have in a litter; and the father is always connected to his kittens even if he isn't around.

Also, if cats have 9 lives and curiosity killed the cat, then death must have something to do with perfection which is represented by the number 10.

Answer 9

Cats Do Not Have 9 Lives
We are not sure where this myth originated, but it may have developed because of a cat’s keen abilities to expertly maneuver around static objects, move very quickly through their surroundings and balance well on seemingly precarious surfaces.

Answer 10

things they do that seem would get them killed, especially falling from tall heights make it appear they are a little invincible. or if not invincible, have been given new chances at life every time they make it out alive from their crazy circumstances. I saw on some show about unbelievable animal videos a cat jump from the top of a telephone pole. (60 ft!!!). It hit the ground hard, but only paused a moment before it ran away unharmed. now that fall should have killed the cat (and maybe it did, and it just used one of its "9 lives" to pickup and go again. just a figure of speeche to explain their unbelievable stunts.

Answer 11

Some people believe in the superstition that cats have nine lives, because cats can survive falls from high places with few, if any injuries. This gives the appearance that the cats return to life after sustaining a fatal accidents. Granted, they may sustain minor injuries, such as bloody noses, cracked teeth, or a few broken ribs, but they live to recover.

The ability of the cat to survive these accidents that would kill humans or other animals is not due to multiple lives, but to several advantages they possess.