Why Are Cats Believed To Have Multiple Lives
Various reasons stemming from cats strong survival instincts make feline enthusiasts believe that cats have multiple lives and can cheat death. Since they are too good at pulling through potentially fatal scenarios, it is speculated that cats actually exhibit several lives and only die when all of them are over. Here are a few reasons that make cat lovers think that felines have multiple lives:
Cats Are Super-Speedy
Cats are very agile and swift, especially the Egyptian Mau. Their known top speed hovers around 48 km/h, which is too much for such a small creature. Cats are, in fact, faster than most of the animals they consider threatening. For instance, they outrun dogs. Similarly, though wolves are a bit faster than cats, the latter are quite good at acceleration and use their maneuvering skills to outsmart wolves.
Cats Often Survive High Falls
According to a study, out of 132 cats brought to a New York vet clinic after they made a high fall, 90% survived. What is more astonishing? Out of these cases, a cat fell from a towering height of 32 stories and experienced a chipped tooth and collapsed lungs.
Moreover, cats can adjust themselves in midair, which makes them capable of landing on their feet. Hence, they can save their sensitive parts, such as the head, to avoid serious injuries.
Cat Are Fastidious Creatures
Cats Rarely Show Pain
Cats Get Back Home
The Sixth Sense Factor
Cats May Intimidate Big Animals
Cats Land On Their Feet All The Time
It is true that cats land on their feet, but it doesnt happen all the time. As mentioned earlier, cats ability to land on their feet from a high drop is primarily due to their air-righting reflex, which allows their body to turn around while in the air. This innate ability is also made possible because of their elastic spine.
However, cats dont always land safely on their feet. Every year, animal hospitals treat cats that have fallen from high places, such as the windows of a multiple-story building.
While some cats survive the impact of their fall, a lot of cats dont. And even those cats who seem not to succumb from their fall also experience life-changing damage that can be expensive to treat.
So, for your cats safety, its best to keep them indoors and to always close your windows, especially if you live in a mid or high-rise property. You should also check the mesh of your windows and balconies during summer to prevent accidents.
Why Are There Myths About Cats
Why do we talk about cats in the first place? There are never any theories about bunnies having twelve lives, and we have just always taken for granted that dogs dont exist for that long, either.
It seems cats naturally arouse fascination in humans.
More than 12,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians thought cats were so special they had a practice of mummifying their cats. They did so for two different reasons.
- One would be to offer them to one of their gods, the goddess Bastet.
- Another reason is that animals back then tended to be viewed as actual incarnations of their gods. Thus, mummifying pets was a sign of reverence to deities.
It was such a widespread practice that archaeologists have uncovered a pet cemetery from that era with over 500 mummified cats and dogs!
The passing millenia have done nothing to dampen peoples belief in cats supernatural linkages and abilities. In fact, up until present day, the cat is considered a holy animal in Islam.
Weve answered the question of why cats. So now, why does the concept of nine lives cats exist?
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Cats Have One Life So Make It A Good One
In reality, cats have only one life. And there are a few ways that you can make sure your cat is happy and healthy:
- Keep them safe. Cats that spend time outside are at risk of injury or death from cars, predators, and other hazards.
- Play with your cat. One of the best ways to ward off boredom and weight gain is with active play. Playing with your cat is akin to going to the gym or taking your dog for a long walk, so make sure that you schedule in regular playtime for your cat.
- Give them good food. As true carnivores, cats benefit from a diet filled with high quality protein.
- Provide them with companionship. Another myth we can debunk about cats is that theyre solitary animals. In reality, cats enjoy the company of humans and would rather stay in the care of a local Cat Sitter than be left alone at home.
So, do cats really have nine lives? No! But we can do our best to make sure our cats are as happy and healthy as possible in the one life theyve got.
The Cats Have 9 Lives Version Likely Comes From
Cats and witches seem to have historically thought to have had a connection. Either way, theyve been associated together for a very long time, it seems.
In the 1559 book Beware the Cat by William Baldwin, it states:
For witches have gone often in that likeness and thereof hath come to the proverb, as true as common, that a cat hath nine lives (that is to say, a witch may take on her a cats body nine times.
Thus, it may be that something to do with a witch being able to possess a cat 9 times had something to do with the myth being so popularly connected to the number 9 in English cultures.
As the quote also points out, in John Heywoods proverbs , theres a line alluding to the myth about cats having 9 lives that says, A woman hath nine lives like a cat.
So this myth goes pretty darn far back, even with the specifics of the number nine. And truth be told, while we have guesses with regards to where these specific numbers might have emerged we may never know! It might turn out these sources came way after the myth emerged and spread, and built on the already-existent myth of cats having 9 lives.
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Do Cats Really Have 9 Lives
Youve always heard that cats have 9 lives, but what does this mean and could it be true?
This is an age old cliché with deep historical roots. Felines have accumulated quite the mystical reputation since the days of Egypt. Revered as gods with entire cultures embracing their unique attributes. But do cats actually live multiple lifetimes?
Thousands of years after cats were worshiped, it seems they were still making quite the impression on humans and documented in literature.The exact phrase cats have 9 lives is first found in an old English proverb.
It reads:Cats have nine lives. For three they play, for three they stray, and for three they stay.
Its thought this saying refers the the life-cycle of many cats. They are super playful as kittens as adult cats, they want to roam and as older kitties, they calm and stay near their safe space. While this saying is known nearly world-wide, the actual manuscript remains unknown.
However, Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet also makes reference to a cat having 9 lives when Mercutio says: Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives.
There is also a lesser known fable translated from Sanskrit that says It has been the providence of Nature to give this creature nine lives instead of one.
Why We Think Cats Have 9 Lives
As much as we wish they had 9 lives to share with us, the fact is our cats only get one life. And its up to us to make sure its their best life.
Can Cats Cheat Death
Our cats have lightning-fast reflexes, speedy decision-making skills and remarkable agility. Theyre adept at making themselves scarce at the first sign of trouble or strolling nonchalantly along high ledges that would daunt most humans!
One incident where death might have been cheated was when a cat called Jack escaped his travel carrier at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the US and disappeared only to fall through the airports ceiling two months later, weak and terrified. On another occasion, a cat called Jessie went missing after moving across Australia with her owner. A year later, Jessie showed up at her old house. Jessies owner said that since her pet hated getting in cars, she thought Jessie must have trekked 1,865 miles across the country, including crossing a barren desert!
These abilities may sometimes seem extraordinary, even supernatural, to us. But the idea of cats having nine lives is no more true than the myth of . Therefore, cats need as much care and attention as any other pet.
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The Origins Of The Myth
While the origins of the myth are unknown, it is thought that the nine lives saying may have come from ancient India.
The Hindu god Vishnu was believed to have taken on the form of a cat nine times.
In Norse mythology, Freyja, the goddess of love, fertility, and warfare, was said to have a chariot pulled by two cats.
In Medieval Europe, black cats were often associated with witchcraft and considered bad luck.
It wasnt until the late 1800s that cat lovers in England began to popularize cats idea had multiple lives.
Do Cats Have 7 Or 9 Lives
There is some debate over how many lives cats actually have.
Some people believe that cats only have seven lives, and this is certainly something Ive heard said.
However, the saying cats have nine lives is more popular than the saying cats have seven lives.
I dont think it really matters too much. Its not something you want to put to the test any time soon!
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Why Do They Say Cats Have 9 Lives
This myth dates back to ancient Egypt, the ancient Egyptians loved and worshiped their cats as if they were gods. Do cats have nine lives, or do they really have seven?
In many countries such as Germany, Spain and Turkey, the Common Belief is that cats actually have 7 lives. But we are going to follow the ancient Egyptians and say our cats have 9.
They say Curiosity kill cats, but it turns out its actually a lot harder than That. Even going way back to the 1st century when they were thrown from towers, cats have had a habit of cheating death. Does a cat have 9 lives?
All about cats went out and did some research to find what makes cats super survivors .
Do Cats Actually Have 9 Lives
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Do Cats Actually Have 9 Lives? Theres a reason why cats have been around for centuries and remain one of the most popular pets today: theyre incredibly resilient.
Youve surely heard the age-old saying about cats having nine lives.
But is there any truth at all behind it?
Cats are incredibly agile and versatile creatures, but they only have one life.
However, their hunting instincts and quick reflexes often help them escape dangerous situations unscathed.
This is likely where the myth of nine lives came from.
Studies have shown that cats can heal quickly from injuries, and they often escape death even when their odds seem insurmountable.
For example, a cat that falls from a highrise can often land on its feet and survive unharmed.
And while cats may not have an immortal soul, as some belief, their ability to thrive in difficult situations is pretty impressive.
Cats are incredibly agile and versatile creatures, but they only have one life.
However, their hunting instincts and quick reflexes often help them escape dangerous situations unscathed.
Cats have been revered and worshipped by humans for centuries, and some believe that they possess mystical powers.
But in reality, theyre just ordinary animals that are good at dodging danger.
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Cats Have A Relatively Low Terminal Velocity Of 60 Mph Which They Reach Around The Five
The researchers suggested an explanation. When cats begin to fall, they tense up and arch their backs and rely on their physiological advantages to survive. This proves an admirable strategy for short distance falls, but less so for falls which are longer but not long enough for the cat to reach its terminal velocity, the point where its speed while falling remains constant.
Cats have a relatively low terminal velocity of 60 mph, around half that of humans, which they reach in a fall at around the five-storey mark. Up to that point injuries increase in severity, but then they have time to adopt a more relaxed body state, using it rather like a parachute, and so minimise their injuries.
Picture Post covered the falling cat phenomenon in 1944.
The flaw in their research, though, was that the sample was skewed significantly towards cats that had initially, if not ultimately, survived their falls. After all, owners would not take their cats to a veterinary surgery if they had been killed outright. Further doubts were cast on the findings by a study of 119 cats that had fallen at least four storeys, published in October 2004 in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. One of its key conclusions was that falls from the seventh or higher storeys are associated with more severe injuries and with a higher incidence of thoracic trauma.
Cat Survival Instincts Explained
“Genetically speaking, there’s not much difference between our pet cats and wild cats,” Lugones says. “They have retained a lot of their wild characteristics and natural survival instincts such as their ability to stalk, hunt, and pounce their prey, whether it be small animals outside, or toys that we have for them inside our homes.”
Another of these instincts, known as the “righting reflex,” explains why many felines find themselves feet first after a fall. They are able to right their body instinctively to land on their paws, so only their pride is wounded. But depending on the severity of the fall, kitty may not always be able to put her best foot forward, and serious injuries are possible. The righting reflex is an instinct only, and kitties are still susceptible to the dangers around them.
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Why Is It Specifically Nine Lives
We always asked why and how cats have nine lives but have you ever thought why an odd number like nine exactly? Lets find out.
Numerology states that the number nine is very significant because of its composition of three groups of three.
In religious cultures like Islam, Greek, and Roman Catholic, the number nine is symbolic and has mystical properties.
For example, in Islam, the significance of the number nine is much like in the Indian thought of Sanatana Dharma, which states, nine openings for man as also the nine months of gestation period of birth.
In Greece, the number nine has been referred to as the trinity of trinities, similar to numerologys composition.
Whats more fascinating, though, is in different cultures, the myth of the cats nine lives has different variations, specifically with their number of lives.
Some regions around Spain believe that cats only have seven lives, while in other Arabic and Turkish legends, cats have six lives.
All this fascination with cats goes way back about 12,000 years ago.
The ancient Egyptians believed these animals were sacred and divine beings with supernatural powers.
People would often dedicate mummified cats at the sanctuary of the cat goddess Bastet as offerings.
To sum it all up, no, cats dont have nine lives, no matter how much we would want them to.
Our feline compatriots tend to cheat death though that doesnt mean we shouldnt be taking extra care of them, no matter how snobbish they can sometimes be.
Curiosity Killed The Cat
In order for a cat to show off its incredible ability to survive, it first needs to be put in positions where survival is required. Cats do love to investigate, hence the idiom curiosity killed the cat. This curiosity gets cats into positions where they have to rely on their whiskers, tails, and their self-righting mechanism to survive and is why people considered cats to even need more than one life in the first place.
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Cats Are Less Prone To Diseases Than Other Animals Because Of Their Amazing Grooming Routine
Cats are known as amazingly clean creatures. They spend as much as 50% of their waking time grooming themselves. However, apart from cleanliness, grooming has a great number of other purposes.
Cats lick themselves to cool down when the weather is too warm as well as they groom themselves to clean away odor-causing agents as a protection against predators. Grooming also aids in getting rid of parasites , relieving stress, stimulating blood flow and cleansing injuries, therefore preventing infections. As a result, cats are typically less susceptible to diseases.
The Reasons For The Belief
The top reasons why so many believe that cats have nine lives may sound silly, but they are all feasible and all make just as much sense as the saying coming from Ancient Egypt.
Other plausible reasons may include if a cat is outside when it is dark, their extraordinary eyesight allows them to find their way home in the dark. All humor aside, the saying that all cats have nine lives is really just a simple myth. The myth is based on the reality of a cat’s strange way of avoiding serious injury and death.
The righting reflex that cats have, is one thing that stands alone. No other creature can do this. That ability to understand where they are in relation to the ground and being able to turn and change their position as they are falling enables them to land on their feet, which obviously protects them from certain death in many instances.
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