by Alatea on July 1st, 2005
Ancient mathematical philosophers called "nine"
the “finishing post” and “that which brings completion."
This is when the luck of the cat runs out,
when he/she has used up their nine lives.
All of this comes from ancient belief systems
and superstition.
The word nine is still very popular today.
Examples:
nine lives of a cat
nine holes of golf
nine to five job
the whole nine yards
nine planets in the solar system
nine supreme court justices
social security numbers in USA have nine digits
The examples show completion.
Lets hope the cat will enjoy nine lives!
by Poindexter on April 29th, 2007
I don't know where the number nine comes from, but cats have astonishing recuperative facilities.
I found this cat once which had been run over by a car. She was bleeding from the mouth, had crapped herself and was wheezing horribly. So I thought I'd just comfort her until she'd die. After about half an hour I decided to take her home so that she could die there. By the time I had taken her home she already tried to escape, and the next morning she was anxious to get home.
She did come back to visit a couple of times, even though it was a couple of miles from the scene of the accident, which I thought was pretty polite for a cat.
And that's why they say cats have several lives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_Came_Back
by SweetFan on April 29th, 2007
Possibly because they end up in situations that would kill another animal and survive it.
by justwannaknow on April 29th, 2007
Because they are trying to sell that 9 lives cat food??? :)
Have you ever heard a phrase mispronounced, and the mispronounced phrase "sticks" with others? One example is this cute little Korean newlywed, living in a cul-de-sac. She calls it a "Cuddle Sack," and now, so do all of her neighbors.
by Anonymous on August 27th, 2009
| 5 people like this
Where does the saying copycat come from and how why cats from what i have seen do not really copy each other?
by militaryman09 on March 25th, 2009
| 3 people like this
What does the saying Carrot-and-stick mean?
by true love conquers all on August 11th, 2009
| 1 person likes this
What is cutting the quick mean?
by Colt COAT of Justice on March 6th, 2009
| 5 people like this
Have you ever heard the phrase, the cows are in the corn, the chickens are in the meadow, and the old gray mare is doing no better? Loll..gosh, I'm bored...bet this is not a duplicate!
by Cotton101 on March 13th, 2009
| 4 people like this
You're reading Where does the saying "cats have nine lives" come from?
- which can also be phrased in the following ways:
Why do they say that cats have 9 lives?
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