Where does the saying "cats have nine lives" come from?

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!

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

Possibly because they end up in situations that would kill another animal and survive it.

Because they are trying to sell that 9 lives cat food??? :)

it's because a cat had majestic powers. What most people don't know, but I do, is that cats come from women's vaginas. thats why it's also known as pussy. A cat is delicious!