Why do cats have 9 lives?

"Tough as a cat" is an expression often used to describe people with good health, endurance, and the ability to overcome various life's challenges. Indeed, it's unlikely that anyone can surpass cats not only in terms of strength and physical resilience, but also in their natural grace, flexibility, and elegance. These animals are said to have nine lives, but no one can reliably explain the origin of this belief or how to interpret it. One can only settle for various versions and assumptions, choosing the ones that best suit one's understanding.

Secrets of Egypt

The ancient Egyptians seriously believed that these handsome, mustachioed beings were capable of reincarnation and were generally close to the "company" of the gods. Otherwise, how can we explain why the chief deity, Ra, was often depicted in feline form, and why Freya, the goddess of the nine worlds, harnessed cats to her chariot, cutting through the sky in such an unusual vehicle? It's worth noting that the classification of all 27 gods of Ancient Egypt conventionally consists of three groups, responsible, respectively, for earth, water, and heaven. And in each group, the number of "responsible" individuals is—how many would you guess? That's right, nine divine persons.

Greetings from the Middle Ages

During the dark and oppressive Middle Ages, beautiful women had a hard time. And that's putting it mildly. They were believed to possess devilish powers and could even sneak into the homes of ordinary (that is, righteous) people disguised as cats. But if the animal was killed, it would revert to its true form after death, turning back into a witch. Witches could only perform these "metamorphoses" nine times—hence the theory that cats have nine lives.

The Middle Ages and Europe

Cats were associated with witches, sorcery, and mysticism. The world was filled with absurd ideas—and it was during this period that the concept of pispe and life cycles began to take shape.

English tradition:

The oldest proverb says:

"Three lives she plays, three lives she wanders, three lives she stays at home."

Shakespeare mentions a cat's "ninth life" in Romeo and Juliet.

Reason for choosing the number 9: magical and symbolic meaning in different cultures - in Greece there are nine muses, in China nine was associated with longevity, in Christianity - with the threefold trinity.

Features of anatomy

Cats have a unique vestibular system that allows them to remain safe and sound even after falls from a great heightWhile still in flight, the animal's body rotates around its axis, resulting in landing on all fours, rather than on its spine or head. Moreover, the greater the altitude, the more time the meowing acrobats have to tuck and assume the correct landing position.

This amazing sense of balance is possessed not only by adult animals, but even by small kittens. It's no wonder that with such a gift from nature, animals are able to live several lives at once, without fear of being sent to "heaven" after their first unfortunate stroll along a balcony railing or window frame.

Multifaceted character

Despite their seemingly complete domestication, cats still possess an independent and freedom-loving nature. Their cunning and agility are the envy of even the most notorious predators, not to mention their incredible ability to adapt to various situations. Having learned to take advantage of all the benefits provided by humans, they quickly adapt to their natural habitat if the need arises. Even living alongside humans from birth, cats always live "on their own wavelength"—perhaps this is why they are credited with having not just one, but many lives.

The magic of numbers

The number nine itself is deeply mysterious and multifunctional. Since ancient times, this number has been associated with magic. For example, according to Pluto, the mythical island of Atlantis consisted of nine kingdoms, or, as we would say today, states/federations/regions. In Orthodoxy, angels are divided into nine levels, or, more simply, ranks, and the symbol of the Holy Spirit is a nine-pointed star.

Nine completes the cycle of decimal, hundredth, and thousandth digits of numbers—9, 19, 49, 999, and so on. It also reproduces itself when multiplied by another number: 9 x 8 = 63 (6 + 3 = 9). Interesting, isn't it? Not to mention that Bach's last work was the Ninth Symphony, and the ninth wave, immortalized in a painting by the great Aivazovsky, is the ultimate nightmare of all sailors. And since cats have long been credited with magical powers, it's only logical to give them nine lives.

The number nine in the context of cats is not a coincidence:

• Repetition: three threes give the word rhythm and symbolism;

• Magic: Nine is a lucky, complete number in mythology and literature;

• A case of translation and consolidation of an expression thanks to folklore and literature (England, William Fuller, Shakespeare).

Which of these versions to vote for is a purely personal choice. All of them have a right to exist, at least for their originality and uniqueness.

Biological basis of "survivability"

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• Life hacks for cats that will make life easier
• Funny cats