Where did the saying 'Raining cats and dogs' come from ?

Question

seems a bit strange !!

Answer 1

The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century when city streets were filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals.

The idea that seeing dead cats and dogs floating by in storms would cause people to coin this phrase is just about believable. People may not have actually thought the animals had come from the sky, but might have made up the phrase to suit the occasion.

Answer 2

Here goes though - take your pick:

It comes from mythology. Witches, who often took the form of their familiars - cats, are supposed to have ridden the wind. Dogs and wolves were attendants to Odin, the god of storms and sailors associated them with rain. Well, some evidence would be nice. There doesn't appear to be any to support this notion.


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. Here's the relevant part of that:

I'll describe their houses a little. You've heard of thatch roofs, well that's all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. They were the only place for the little animals to get warm. So all the pets; dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery so sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Thus the saying, "it's raining cats and dogs."

This is nonsense of course. It hardly needs debunking, but, lest there be any doubt...

Dogs lived in thatched roofs? No, of course they didn't. Even accepting that mad idea, for them to have slipped off when it rained they would have needed to be on the outside - hardly the place an animal would head for to shelter from bad weather.


The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century when city streets were filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals.

The idea that seeing dead cats and dogs floating by in storms would cause people to coin this phrase is just about believable. People may not have actually thought the animals had come from the sky, but might have made up the phrase to suit the occasion.


Another suggestion is that it comes from a version of the French word, catadoupe, meaning waterfall.

Well, again. No evidence. If the phrase were 'raining cats' or if there also existed a French word, dogadoupe we might be going somewhere with this one. As there isn't let's pass this by.

Answer 3

In northern mythology the cat is meant to have large impression on the factors and, 'The cat has a gale of wind in her tail' is a seafarer's expression for whilst a cat is strangely frisky. Witches that rode on storms have been mentioned to anticipate the shape of cats. The canines is a sign of wind, like the wolf, the two considered one of that have been attendants of Odin the hurricane god. for this reason cat would be taken as a logo of the down-pouring rain, and the canines of the sturdy gusts of wind accompanying a rainstorm.

Answer 4

It's got nothing to do with putting animals on the roof!! Who the hell does that?!
versatauomo is correct - it dates back to when heavy rain would cause flooding in street and wash along any bits of rubbish lying around - which would often include the bodies of dead cats & dogs that had been left lying around.

Answer 5

Places where people built their homes in the side of hills.
When an animal would wander on top of an unsound roof (usually while it's wet), the cat or dog or cow would fall inside.
Thus- raining cats and dogs.

Answer 6

Comes from stepping into a poodle

Answer 7

so much rain causes a flood -

you throw your animals on top the roof for safety

so what's falling on your roof - cats and dogs!

Answer 8

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

Take a look at the above link

Answer 9

some ones head.

Answer 10

and i just stepped in a poodle