Do Cats Have Nine Lives?
It’s an old adage that cats have nine lives and most people do believe in it. No one actually knows where it came from and how true it is. Probably this emerged from the fact that cats have been seen to survive falls and accidents without even a wee bit of injury on their bodies. But is that really true? Well, let’s see what the legends believe and what the reality is.
Mythological beliefs
Apparently, the myth originated from ancient Egypt that revered Bast- a goddess with a cat head that was believed to have nine lives. For Egyptians, cats were supreme deities and a person who deliberately killed a cat was sentenced to death.
In Greece, people associated number nine with cats because number nine is considered magical and divine as in, the ‘trinity of trinities’ in Greek mythology. And since both the number and the cat is believed to have magical abilities and are revered in religions, nine lives seemed make-believe.
According to Celtic mythology, nine lives of cats were attributed to the witchcraft that was again related to the character Cat Smith, who was a witch as per the folklores. It is believed that Cat Smith, being a witch, could transform herself into a cat. And as per the folklores, if a witch transformed itself into a cat the ninth time, she stayed a cat for the rest of her life. Hence, cats were associated with nine lives in Scotland and Ireland.
William Shakespeare also corroborated this belief by mentioning in his play — Romeo and Juliet.
“Tybalt: What wouldst thou have with me?
Mercutio: Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives.”
Besides, there is an old adage which says — ‘A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays.’
This myth got substantial proof when people noticed that cats survived conditions where other animals could have got badly injured.
But, the reality is Cat just has one life. It is their anatomy that helps them survive in an emergency. How? Well, here is an explanation.
Deconstructing the Myth with Reality
Cats’ bones and the connective tissues are so flexible and strong that they don’t get injured easily. They are blessed with super-fast reflexes and have the amazing ability to mold their bodies into a position that can save them from an accident. Moreover, their spine is way flexible compared to other animals, contributing to their agility and righting reflexes. Hence, even if a cat gets into an untoward situation, she can rescue herself.
Another reason is that the cat achieves maximum/ terminal velocity when she falls from a height and can survive fall from 2–4 storied building. However, she can definitely collapse if the height increases.
So, it is certainly a myth that cats have nine lives. It only has one. So, never try to put her in a position where she can lose her life.
I hope you got the reality behind the myth now!
Are you a pet parent? Then here are some of the best-known pet supplies for your furry pal at most affordable and cheap prices. Visit us:
