As any cat owner will tell you, a cat has nine lives. It is one of the most well-known myths associated with our feline friends. While the origin of this expression is not known for certain, there are a variety of different theories.
The ‘multiple lives’ concept is most likely attributed to the fact that cats are such good survivors, swift, agile and able to land on their feet (sometimes even walking away from enormous drops).
The question is, where did the number nine come from? Nine has, throughout the ages, been considered a lucky number, even mystical or magic. Nine is the “Trinity of Trinities” (in other words 3 x 3). With cats being seen as witches familiars and having been worshipped by ancient Egyptians, the mystical number nine would have been the obvious number to assign to the lucky cats.
Other possible explanations for the number nine could be because of the cat o’ nine tails, a type of multi-tailed whipping device that originated as an implement for severe physical punishment. The association of cats, the number nine and their tenacious characteristics could have all blended together into the saying.
Interestingly, although most cultures would say the cat has nine lives, this varies in some other cultures. According to Arabic, Spanish and Turkish proverbs cats have seven lives. In Russia the cat is said to survive nine deaths.
All I know, as a cat owner, is that nine can sometimes seem like a conservative estimate.
