Why Do We Say Cats Have Nine Lives
A cat is one of the most agile, quick-witted and independent pets out there. In particular, cats can withstand falls that would easily kill a human which perhaps explains where the idea that a cat has nine lives came from. In one documented case, a pet cat in New York City survived a fall of 32 storeys with only relatively minor injuries. This ability to survive against the odds is all thanks to a cats amazing anatomy:
- Cats evolved to live in trees, and many wild feline species still do. Millions of years of springing or falling from a height ensure they have adapted to handle it well.
- Their impressive righting reflex enables them to twist their bodies around while falling, to land squarely on all four feet.
- Cats have a large body surface area compared with their weight, which also helps reduce the force of their landing.
- They also have great flexibility in their bones and ligaments, which helps them to sustain minimal injury from impacts.
An Old English Proverb
The details are murky surrounding the origin of the nine lives myth. Most sources simply cite an old English proverba proverb that mirrors what could arguably be called the three stages of human life, as well:
A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.
Who Is The Nine Lives Cat
Tibaldo: What would you have with me? Mercutio: Good cat king, nothing but one of your nine lives. There is also an old English proverb that says, A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he wanders, and for the last three he stays.
Who is the cat in nine lives? Barry Sonnenfeld: I knew that Mr. Fuzzypants, the cat in the heart of Nine Lives, was the role of a lifetime but I have to admit, I was a little surprised when Kevin Spacey climbed into my firewall and scratched at the window. , asking for admission.
Does a cat have 9 lives? Do cats actually have nine lives? No! Cats have one life just like any other living creature. However a cat is probably the most independent pet out there.
What do cats 9 lives mean? People have no doubt realized that they have experienced situations that would have killed or seriously injured other animals. Because of this disturbing ability to get out of a disaster, the English came up with the proverb A cat has nine lives.
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A Cat Always Lands On Its Feet
This saying refers to the fact that cats have an innate ability to survive, even when they are put in dangerous situations. They are biologically built to withstand challenges.
They have a compact body and a low center of gravity. This means that their body naturally wants to land feet side down, and they have a righting ability that further accentuates this. The result is that if a cat falls from a high space, it will almost always land on its feet.
Why Do People Say Cats Have Nine Lives
Why Do People Say Cats Have Nine Lives? ANSWER: Historians say the Egyptians revered the number nine because they associated it with their sun god, Atum-Ra. According to one version, Ra gave birth to eight other gods. Since Ra often took the form of a cat, people began associating the nine lives with feline longevity.
Proverb A cat is able to endure, continue, or survive despite a near encounter with death or disaster because cats have nine lives. Mr. Pickles has been missing for a few days, but I wouldnt worry about him. Cats can survive things that are severe enough to kill them. Jill: My cat fell off a third-floor balcony and just walked away. I think my cat used up one of her nine lives when she survived being hit by that car.
What does it mean when they say a cat has nine lives? a cat has nine lives proverb A cat is able to endure, continue, or survive despite a near encounter with death or disaster because cats have nine lives . Mr. Pickles has been missing for a few days, but I wouldnt worry about him.
Why do they say cats have 7 lives? It is thought that this came from ancient times when nine was considered a lucky number because it is the trinity of trinities. Because cats are lucky when they easily escape death, this quote is fit well for the cat. This is why called that the cats have 7 lives.
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Cats’ Godlike Nature in Ancient Egypt
First, cats began to develop a mythical quality in ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptian people worshipped gods that resembled a feline or were half-feline in form, thanks to cats’ protective, motherly nature. The Egyptians respected felinity, and connected it to divinity and immortality.
Cats in English Literature
Some believe that the origin of the nine lives myth comes from an English proverb. The proverb reads: “A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.” While this proverb was simply intended to describe a cat’s lifecycle from being a kitten to an adult cat to a senior cat, it’s possible that it caught on and people began to believe that cats actually had nine lives.
The myth also appears in Shakespeareâs play Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 1: where Mercutio says to Tybalt, “Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives.”
The Cultural Significance of the Number 9
The number nine has significance in several other traditions and cultures. Nine is a lucky number in Chinese culture, because it sounds the same as the word “long-lasting.” And there are nine muses in Greek mythology. Also, nine may be considered lucky in the early Christian tradition, since the number nine represents a trinity .
Does Putting Butter On Your Cats Paws Help Them Get Home
Unfortunately, many of us still believe this myth, applying butter to our kitties paws when we move to a new house, before we let them outside.
Not only is this untrue, its also potentially dangerous. The myth states that butter helps to mask the smell of your mogs old home, helping them settle into their new habitat and acclimatise as they clean off the butter.
This doesnt work for a variety of reasons. The scent of your previous house will still remain on every other part of your cat, and theyll likely become even more distressed when trying to lick their grease-covered paws clean.
Its far safer to keep your pussycat indoors during the first two weeks of a move, giving them the time to realise that their new abode is secure.
Make sure theyre microchipped, then gradually progress to supervised trips outside, right before their mealtimes only do this during the daytime. After a few weeks of this, they should settle in.
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Is There A Connection Between Cats And Nine Lives
That said, while cultures all across the world have told stories about cats surviving great falls due to their multiple lives, the connection between this and the number nine, specifically, is not ubiquitous.
In some cultures its said that cats have 6 lives, in others, 7, and finally, which I think is the most common rendition its also sometimes said they have 9 lives. Just so things are straight in your head right from the very start cats only have one life.
How Long Do Cats Live On Average
Typically, exclusively indoor cats live 1215 years on average, while outdoor cats live 25 years. Indoor cats are protected from elements of the outside world that often shorten an outdoor cat’s lifespan, such as disease, being hit by a vehicle, ingesting poison, or fending off predators. However, genetics, health, and access to veterinary care all come into play.
Guinness World Records lists beloved Creme Puff of Texas as the oldest cat to ever live, passing away in 2005 at 38 years old. To give some perspective, a 1-year-old cat is equivalent to a 15-year-old human, a 2-year-old cat mirrors a 25-year-old human, and from then on, every year a cat lives is equivalent to four human yearsi.e., a 10-year-old cat is 57 in human years. Most veterinarians begin designating cats as seniors when they turn 10 years old. Crème Puff was what legends are made of.
So, how can you give your feline a fighting chance to conquer old age? Lugones has a few tips.
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The Origin Of The Saying
Some speculate that the saying has been carried on from an ancient English proverb: A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays.
Author Linda Ruggeri says the saying was even used by Shakespeare. Mercutio gallantly replies to Tybalt in Romeo and Juliette with something about taking one of his nine lives, she says.
And the number nine itself has been a mystical number for centuries, Ruggeri says. Greek mythology refers to The Nine Muses, who were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne from a love affair between the two that lasted nine months. And the number nine has always been revered as lucky by the Chinese, as it is associated with strength and masculinity. In the Forbidden City, for instance, there are nine rows of nine knobs on many of the doors to convey the impression of power.
Others say that the verbiage dates back to Egyptian times.
Egyptians revered cats and believed they held magical properties, says Essam Hamed, an Egyptianologist and tour guide in Luxor, Egypt.
He says that a popular saying in Egypt is that cats actually have seven lives and jokes that its probably the United States that tacked on the two extra lives.
When someone has many car accidents and lives, for instance, we say he is like a cat, as cats have seven lives and never die easily, he says.
Many believe that the saying stemmed from a cats ability to survive extreme situations.
Why Do Cats Hate Belly Rubs
Why do some cats dislike tummy tuck? Hair follicles on the belly and tail region are hypersensitive to touch, so stroking there can be too stimulating, Provoost says. Cats prefer to be pets and scratched on the head, specifically under the chin and cheeks, where they have odor glands, Provoost says.
What does it mean when a cat lets you rub its belly? If your cat loves it when you rub her belly, take it as a compliment. It means your cat wants attention and trusts you enough to touch her belly. Remember that your cats belly is the most vulnerable place of her body. If she allows you to caress her in this region, then she trusts you completely.
Is it okay to rub a cats belly? A bunch of vital organs sit just millimeters under the skin of your cats belly, and damage to any of them could be fatal. Cats are therefore very likely to guard their bellies from possible injuries. Unlike dogs who love to rub their bellies, cats are much more restrained about it.
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How Does Cat Have 9 Lives
An old English proverb states A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays. Nine is also a magic number- and this could be partly why cats are attributed with having nine lives, because they have been both worshipped and feared throughout the ages for being magical.
Do Cats Have Nine Lives
– When I was very young I heard people say that cats had nine lives. I did not know exactly what that meant but thought it was a lot of nonsense. However, as I have grown older, I have grown wiser. I realize that there is actually a lot more to this saying than at first meets the eye.
So, where did this particular myth come from, and how true is it? You may be surprised to find out that it does have a very strong basis of truth, but not set in magic as we sometimes like to imagine, but in the law of physics.
Cats have always been revered animals, and partly this is due to their seeming remarkable resistance to harm. They have an inbred ability to escape death by a whisker. However, times were not always this good to be the cat for in medieval Europe the strange ritual of throwing cats from high towers became a popular event.
There is a legend that Baldwin III, Count of Ypres, on one occasion threw a considerable number of cats from a tower in the town. It is not known how many survived this particular occasion, but it has been noted that more often than not, they did. Indeed the keeper of the castle at this time recorded the following words in his diary, In spite of the height of the fall, the animals ran off quickly so that it might never be caught again in a similar ceremony.
Through these so-called miracles of survival comes the basis of todays adage that a cat has nine lives. How else would one survive such falls without magic?
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When Did The Saying Cats Have Nine Lives Start
Many people believe the saying that cats have nine lives comes from an old English proverb that could be several hundred years old. The proverb states, A cat has nine lives, for three he plays, for three he strays, and for three he stays. This proverb doesnt tell us why cats have so many lives, but since the proverbs are so well known, its more than a little believable that this is the origin of the myth.
Why Do People Say Cats Have 9 Lives
6th January, 2020
While nobody knows exactly where the myth comes from, any cat owner can tell you why its claimed these hardy little furballs have nine lives: felines have an incredible set of survival skills.
It seems theres no situation our pussycats cant get themselves out of. They can leap from great heights and land with amazing agility they have the intellect to carefully avoid potential dangers before they become serious risks.
Its important to remember, though: your kitty isnt invincible. We may make light of their ability to defy the odds, but, sadly, at some point serious illness or injury might occur.
The myth that felines have nine lives doesnt hold true, which is why its vital to secure reliable pet cover.
Purely Pets is here to help. We want to make sure your cats protected, whether they stay indoors or roam outside. Our straightforward pet insurance can be tailored to your pets needs and your budget, keeping everyone happy.
Were cat lovers, too, so we thought itd be fun to take a closer look at some classic pussycat myths!
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Does 9 Lives Make Cats Sick
Most say that by eating 9 lives for a short period of time, their cats became ill. They describe lethargy, milk, vomiting, and sometimes epileptic seizures and anemia. Several reviewers said turning off their cats food 9Lives seemed to help.
Are 9 Lives wet foods a good cat food? 5.0 out of 5 stars Breakfast for our 6 cats and they love it. We try to keep the cats grain-free dry foods after theyve had some health issues, but they all love canned wet foods and Friskies are the most popular although 9-Lives are good as well. The chips have a lot of liquid at the expense of the meat / fish portion.
Is there a recall on 9 Lives cat food? The J.M.Smucker Company voluntarily recalls some types of 9 Live preserved cat foods due to possible low levels of thiamine . Also, 9 Lives Protein Plus with tuna and liver with best used date from April 17, 2020 to September 14, 2020.
Why Do Cats Need Nine Lives
Cats are extremely curious creatures that will often find themselves in trouble of their own doing. Weve all heard stories or seen first-hand cats getting stuck in trees or abandoned houses. They like to explore and pay little attention to the way back, often getting them into life-threatening danger. Cats are also territorial, and if your cat goes outside, it will get into disputes regularly over territory.
Another risk that outdoor cats face is traffic. Many cats like to cross the road at the worst possible time, and motorists often arent watching for it. A cat that spends time on the road will certainly use up its lives quickly. Despite these dangers, many cats live a full, happy life that can exceed 15 years.
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Heres Why They Say Cats Have Nine Lives
Old English Proverbs
Sometimes old theories carry weight over time. For cats, the theory surrounding the nine lives origin rose in popularity thanks to an old English Proverb. Although not meant in super seriousness, the proverb tells that: A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.
In 1732, Thomas Fuller wrote a book called Gnomologia: Adagies And Proverbs Wise Sentences And Witty Sayings, Ancient And Modern, Foreign And British. In it he said that,A cat has nine lives, and a woman has nine cats lives. Thus further solidifying the theories surrounding the origin of why they say cats have nine lives.
Cats Always Land on Their Feet
While your cat is one incredible acrobat and stealthy ninja, it is NOT true that a cat always lands on its feet. Yes, of course it is likely, but certainly not always true. Your cat is advanced in terms of agility and reaction speed. And because of their profound righting reflex they will land on their feet more times than not. But, this popular myth about cats is definitely one of the reasons that cats are said to have nine lives.