how was the term cat having >.9 LIves come about??

Question

my cat crashes into everything suprise he doesnt have any head trama ...just wonder is the 9 lives thing came about?

Answer 1

There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer out there on the web.

The most common answer I came across related it back to ancient Egypt at the time that they revered cats - where three was an auspicous number & three times three even better.

One site suggested that it was because they were hard to kill ... probably the original person to say it had a cat just like yours, lol.

Others suggest it is because of their incredible agililty, poise & balance & the fact that they invariably land on their feet in situations that would kill or seriously maim a man.

I did find this English saying though:
"The cat has nine lives - three for playing, three for straying, and three for staying."

and this one ... which I thought was even better:
"Every life should have nine cats."

However, I believe there is also the theory that the cat being refered to in the saying was actually a whip - the cat o nine tails.

Answer 2

Cats are magical creatures. 9 has been a featured quantity in many cultures; 3 grew to become right into a sacred quantity, so 3 X 3 could certainly be that fairly greater. Cats have been worshiped, hated, enjoyed, abused, and dealt with as no longer something greater desirable than yet another animal, for hundreds of years. they have survived, as a species, while others does no longer have. So superstitious people have related many concepts to them. between them the theory that they have got 9 lives.

Answer 3

Cats are very flexible, able to twist as they fall in midair and land on their feet. Also, they absorb the shock of a fall very well, so when they fell from great heights, people would think they'd die, only to see em get up and scamper off.

Answer 4

cats r very flexible