Emporiblog - Why Do Cats Have 9 Lives?
Well Midfield, there are probably several answers this question, which we will explore here...
Do cats actually have 9 lives?
Unfortunately, no. Our feline friends (including you Middle-Earth) only have one life and not everyone believes that cats supposedly have 9 lives but most believe that cats do have more than one life. For example, in parts of Spain, the number of feline lives is 7 and parts of Turkish and Arabic legends reveal that the number of lives is actually 6.
Why do people say that cats have 9 lives if they don't?
In all honesty Middleton, I don't know but, the saying has been around for a long time, Shakespeare even used the phrase in Romeo and Juliet. There is also an old English proverb,
"A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays."
The number 9 itself is also considered to have magickal properties and associations as have cats, who have been both worshipped and feared throughout time so, it stands to reason that the two go hand in hand.
Myths of the multiple lives
There are several myths about cats having multiple lives, let's have a look through a couple....
1 - An ancient Egyptian myth stated that Ra (the sun God) took the form of a cat to visit the underworld. There were 9 gods in that myth, including Ra, which is where some draw the 9 lives conclusion from
2 - One Irish legend states that a Witch may transform into a cat and back 8 times, the 9th transformation however, is permanent
3 - In a very specific sect of Buddhism it is believed that once a person dies, their soul (if holy enough) would go into a cat and stay there until the cat passed away, which would then cause it's soul and the soul of the person to ascend to paradise. The number of souls that a cat can hold is not stated.
4 - This one links in with number 2 and is from Irish and Scottish legends and shares the transformation myth. In this one a large dog sized, black cat with a white patch on its chest, is called Cat Sith (insert Vader theme here) who likes to steal the souls of the dead during the night. On Samhain, leave out milk to receive blessings from Cat Sith
So, I hope Midiot and I have answered your question on why cats have nine lives but we have another question for you: how many names does your cat have? Is it more than 9?
For example, I have used a few of Midian's alternative names in the post (see if you can find them all!) and one of our other feline residents goes by, but is not limited to:
- Ginge
- Gingy Moos
- Mr Moos
- Moo Moo
- The Almighty Gingy Moos
- Puss In Boots
- Sheddy McShederton
I hope you've enjoyed this post! Microchip your cats, spay and neuter them and adopt don't shop!
Blessings,
C )0(
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