Short Summary: Do Cats Really Have Nine Lives

Though considered cuddly and cute; cats are surrounded by an aura of a mystic. They are perceived to be sacred as well as ominous by many. In fact, cats have inspired the imagination of writers and poets, since the time they were first domesticated. However, you cannot deny the fact that there are many myths and misconceptions. One being the “9 lives.” So, the question is, do cats really have 9 lives, or it is just a myth? After researching for a while now, we have come up with few answers. Read further to know.

Do Cats Really Have 9 Lives?

If you have ever seen Kelly the Kitty or Mr. Whiskers fall without any scratch, then you should have already known their reputation! There are many unusual euphemisms, sayings, and anecdotes in the English

A cat is very crafty and resilient. It can survive great falls from vast distances. Hence, a cat having nine lives is only a superstition. Since cats can survive high falls with fewer injuries, it gives an appearance that they can return to life.

Granted, they might sustain slight injuries like cracked teeth, some broken ribs or bloody noses but they still survive to recover. Now, the ability of cats to reside such fatal accidents isn’t due to multiple lives. It is due to the various body advantages they own. Their low weight and small size soften the impact as soon as they encounter the ground after falling from immense heights.

Cats have something known as ‘righting reflex’- where they can twist around very quickly in the air if dropped from high places, allowing them to almost always land on their feet. Remember that scene from Catwoman? They have excellent balance and reflexes. They have 13 thoracic vertebrae ( while humans have 12 ) and seven lumbar vertebrae ( while humans have 5 ).

The additional lumbar and thoracic vertebrae account for the cat's spinal mobility and unmatched flexibility, allowing it to compress and fit itself into small corners and

It might be the reason for assuming as if they have several lives. However, why it has to be number “9” in particular?

Nobody knows from where the saying about nine lives came. Some data says that in ancient times the digit 9 was considered lucky, magical and mystical. When cats seemed to escape injuries over and over again, the lucky number “9” suited the cat.

There are several communities which still believes that cats have nine life. If you take Turkish and Arab proverbs, puss has only seven successful lives. If you consider Ancient Egyptian mythology, people use to worship cats as gods.

At any rate, humans throughout the ages have been awed by the hardiness of feline. They have tried to explain their dexterity by building myths and stories revolving around their many lives or powers to reincarnate.

Final Words.

So here is the answer goes, cats don't really have nine lives. Cats can fall off skyscrapers and other tall buildings and still be able to survive. Still, there are innumerable instances where they have succumbed to the misplaced curiosity of enthusiasts trying to test the extent of their resilience. Perhaps this adds a whole new dimension to another popular idiom, “curiosity killed the