So I was thinking how do we come up with some of they sayings we use or have heard? Then I thought hey this might be something cool to look into and blog about. So I’m going to give it a shot. The first one I will stat with is 9 lives. Why do we say a cat has 9 lives?
Nobody really knows why this saying is said; but the popular idea is because these felines are particularly agile and possess great dexterity. Cats are able to negotiate huge heights whilst being able to land on their feet. The reason for this is because they have what is called a ‘righting reflex’ – they are able to twist around very quickly in the air if dropped from high places. Many believe they will land on feet 9 out of 10 times.
How does that old English proverb go? “A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.”
Although the proverb is not to be taken seriously, the nine lives myth can be traced back further in history.
Nine has always been a number which supposedly harbors magical connotations. The ancient Greeks believed the number nine was a mystic number which invoked tradition and was referred to as the trinity of all Trinities.
In ancient Egypt the cat was revered and worshiped. The nine gods of the Ennead was composed of Atum-Ra, the sun God who gave life to the gods of the air, moisture, earth and sky. In turn they produced Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. Atum-Ra, when visiting the underworld took on the form of a cat and embodied nine lives in a single creator. Maybe this is why many people don’t like cats. Who knows?
In Europe cat worship lingered until at least the Middle Ages but the cat was no longer regarded as divine but instead was regarded as magical. Medieval Europe was known to be a tough place for a cat to live among some obscure rituals which had cats being tossed from high towers. Legend dictates the tale of Baldwin III, Count of Ypres, who threw cats from a tower in AD962. The event is still marked to this day with an annual cat festival. The Belgian town celebrates with a parade honoring the cat’s history after which cats are thrown from their 70-meter Cloth Hall Tower. Live cats were used up to 1817 but the cats ran away so quickly they were never caught again for similar ceremonies. Now only toy cats are used these days! Thank goodness!
Still not really sure why we say this. Why do you say or think a cat has 9 lives?
Do you just say it because we have always heard it for so long?
Just Me Being Me 