Where did the belief that cats have 9 lives originate from?

Question

Just wondering...

Answer 1

It is common lore that cats have nine lives. It is a tribute to their perceived durability, their occasional apparent lack of instinct for self-preservation, and their seeming ability to survive falls that would be fatal to other animals.

Answer 2

The idiom refers to the ability of cats to survive very high falls. For instance, statistics show that a cat will die more often from a short height fall (2-7 stories) than from a high height (9-35 stories). A lot of people will tell you this, because it's so obvious.

However... why is it the number 9? Where the myth originates, in Egypt, the number 9 is considered a magical number. It was also noted in a 17th century myth that a witch could transform themselves into a cat 9, not 8 or 10, times. Also, according to this myth, cats may be reincarnated 9 times.

Answer 3

This 'urban legend' originated in the dark ages when all things bad were attributed to witches, warlocks, magicians, alchemists and such. These people had the ability to transform themselves into different animals, one being the cat. Since the cat has an innate ability to apparently escape from the most perilous situations it was rumored back then that a cat had nine lives.

If we take this 9 lives lore even further back to the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs, the cat was considered a deity and at that time it was considered to have 7 lives. When and why it was bumped up to nine eludes me.

Answer 4

From the fact that cats can take long falls and survive. They survive because they always land on their feet but in olden times they didn't have a way to explain how this was possible scientifically. as anything else dropped from such a height would be seriously injured or killed people drew the conclusion that cats must have multiple lives in order to survive multiple high falls. Though how they chose the number 9 I have no idea.

Answer 5

Actually, from what I've heard, it is mainly just because they are very quick and agile and know how to get out of danger quickly. This is mainly due to the fact that over thier heritage, cat's have been born with an innate ability to use quick reflexes. Thus, the expression, "cat-like reflexes" comes into play. This probably also prompted the expression that they have nine lives.
So really, it's just an expression that was developed by people.

Answer 6

SHORT ANSWER:
It is common lore that cats have nine lives. It is a tribute to their perceived durability, their occasional apparent lack of instinct for self-preservation, and their seeming ability to survive falls that would be fatal to other animals.



LONG ANSWER:
"One theory on the origin of this expression is that in ancient times nine was a lucky number because it is the Trinity of Trinities. As cats seem able to escape injury time and time again, this lucky number seemed suited to the cat. While in most countries the cat is said to have nine lives, in Arab and Turkish proverbs poor puss has a mere seven lucky lives and in Russia, is said to-survive nine deaths."


"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 accident. 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. Their small size and low body weight soften the impact as they make contact with the ground after falling from great heights.

The highly developed inner ears of cats equip them with an unusually keen sense of balance, which is critical to their landing on their feet. This sense of balance allows a cat falling upside down to right himself by rapidly determining his position, repositioning himself, and making any adjustments necessary to ensure that he lands on all fours.

Since cats land on all four paws, the impact from landing on the ground is absorbed by all four. Additionally, cats bend their legs when they land, which cushions the impact by spreading the impact, not only through bones that could easily break, but through the joints and muscles as well.

Most are surprised to learn that a cat stands a greater chance of survival if it falls from a higher place than from a lower place. New York veterinarians gathered data from their feline patients, which clearly support this fact. Ten percent of their patients died after falling from 2-6 stories, while only five percent of the fatalities occurred when their patients fell from 7-32 stories.

Laws of physics explain why these survival rates vary. All falling bodies, regardless of their masses, accelerate by 22 miles per hour per second of their falls. The falling object, after traveling a certain distance through the air reaches a final speed, or "terminal velocity," because the object's friction with the air slows the fall. The smaller the object's mass, and the greater its area, the more it will slow.
A cat falling from a higher floor, after it stops accelerating, spreads its legs into an umbrella shape, which increases the area against which the air must push and increases the friction, thus slowing the cat's fall. Through the cats highly developed sense of balance, he buys more time to maneuver his body in preparation for landing on all fours. A cat falling from a lower height does not have the opportunity to increase its body's area, slow its fall, or position his body to land on all four feet."
Source(s):

http://www.moggies.co.uk/html/pawsprover...
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/language_ti...

Answer 7

a cat almost died 8 times before finally getting killed

Answer 8

DOGS started this rumor.

It sort of gives them an excuse to kill the cat, you know.

Answer 9

from the cat food

Answer 10

not sure, but i would like to read the answers to find out...