The Truth Behind One Cat's Nine Lives
A common myth we've all heard is that cats have nine lives. But where did this fantasy of feline immortality come from? And why is it number nine?

Petplan unravels the myth of one cat's nine lives, discovers how this phrase originated and gives you the facts behind it!

Do cats really have nine lives?
No! Cats have a life like any other living creature.

However, cats are probably the most independent pets out there. They can withstand falls and other serious accidents without serious injury, which is probably where the saying "a cat has nine lives".

It's all thanks to the anatomy of cats:

They have a large surface area relative to their weight that reduces landing force
Cats evolved to live in trees and thus adapted to overcome
Their 'Running Reflex' allows them to twist and land safely on their paws
Cats have flexibility in their bones and ligaments, making them the least likely to be injured in a variety of crashes
Why are there nine lives?
The myth that cats have many lives exists around the world, but not always nine lives, and the number varies in different cultures.

No one knows exactly where this phrase came from, but it has been around for centuries, even William Shakespeare used it in Romeo and Juliet:

"Tybalt:
You will
Mercutio:
A good cat, the king, is only one of his nine lives."

There is also an old English proverb that says:
"A cat has nine lives." . For three lives, it plays, three it wanders and the last three it stays". This may be the origin of the myth that cats have nine lives, but this proverb is not serious.

Nine is also considered a magic number, which may also partly explain why cats are assigned nine lives. Cats have been both loved and feared through the ages and are considered mystical creatures.

In ancient Greece, the number nine referred to the trinity of all triplets and a supernatural number alludes to tradition and religion.

Can cats trick death?
Cats are extremely intelligent and intuitive. They have lightning-fast reflexes, quick decision-making abilities, and remarkable ingenuity.

However, there is no scientific evidence that cats have nine lives. As far as we can tell, our feline friends have only one life on this earth, just like everyone else.

So the myth of the cat with nine lives is no more true than the superstitious myth of the black cat.

As a responsible pet owner, you should be as careful with cats as you are with any other pet.

Do you have any other suggestions why cats are said to have nine lives? Let us know in the comments section.