The Nine Lives of a Cat

[esqeddy]

Growing up, I saw the cartoons that depicted a cat has having nine lives and had heard it said, but never really gave it much thought until recently.

I always thought of it as refering to a cats ability to survive incidents that would likely kill anything else. This concept seems to be the general idea when I google the topic:

"According to a myth in many cultures, cats have multiple lives. In many countries, they are believed to have nine lives, but in some Spanish-speaking regions they are said to have seven lives,[230] while in Turkish and Arabic traditions the number of lives is six.[231] The myth is attributed to the natural suppleness and swiftness cats exhibit to escape life-threatening situations.[232] Also lending credence to this myth is that falling cats often land on their feet because of an inbuilt automatic twisting reaction and are able to twist their bodies around to land feet first, though they can still be injured or killed by a high fall.[233]"

Cat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Interestingly, I read in Scientific America a number of years back that cats are more likely to be killed by a fall of less than 3 storys than a fall of 30. Cats that fall from great relax after a bit and they spread out their legs and the terminal velocity they reach slows to the point that most survive the impact of the fall!

Now, back on topic.... Nine lives of a cat and the reason this has come to mind.

Through out my life, I have always had a cat as a pet. Without spewing the virtues of cats as pets, let me talk about something I came to realize about the cats I have owned:

They have developed some odd behaviors which one would think would not be natural to a cat, and which seems to be present in subsequent cats.

In particular, I no longer maintain a litter box. The cat waits at the door when he needs to go and when someone enters or exits the house, it goes out or returns. If the cat gets stuck in the house and has no choise but to go, he goes in the tub! Likewise, early in the morning, when he wants to go out, he comes into my bedroom and taps on the blinds at the bottom of the door which wakes me and I let him out. I didn't buy or train this cat. It showed up at my house one day and seemed to already know me and everyone else in the family and even got along with dog. What I find interesting is that it showed up a few months after our previous cat of many years had died. A cat who had these exact behavior traits. And these are just a few of the similarites between this cat and my cat before it. As an example hey both like eating the same odd things on occasion: donoughts, lettuce, etc.

I started thinking back about the cats I had in even more distant years and it seems that much of their behaviors seemed to progress from cat to cat to this cat. It got me to thinking that the saying that cats have nine lives, of which apparently no one really knows the origin of the saying, could refer to something other than what I initial thought. Could it refer to a cat's life spaning nine different bodies, as opposed to a cats body surviving multiple different mortal events?

No, I don't generally believe in reincarnation, nor do I believe a cat really has nine lives. But dang it really makes me wonder sometimes. I although I am a man of science, I do not rule out spiritual or super natural possibilities in our universe.

OK. I now have my flame suit on. Let me answer a few questions right off: No, I'm not smoking, droping, sniffing, or drinking mind altering substances. No, I don't have way too much time on my hands. And, No, I'm not under the care of a mental health professional.

 

[ssssnake]

You're getting too deep way too early for me John. All I know is I used to have a cat that would use my tub for a litter box too.

 

[HYBRED]

If you think about it, the lifespan of the nine cats would adequately cover a normal human lifespan.

However, of the 9 cats I've owned in my life that I can remember (including my 3 current cats), I can't recall any being overly similar. At least, not to the point where certain untaught behavioral cues would raise questions.

 

[WireEater]

It's an impostor cat. He kidnapped your old one and is trying to live his life! Call him the talented Mr. Rippley.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

My guess would be that your old cats left scents around the house that served as indicators to the new cat what its habits were. For instance when the new cat went to the bathtub from the scent of the old cat it knew that it used it as a litter box and thus learned to the use it as one too. As far as eating the same odd foods, I dont know, but cats are weird. Some are picky about their foods and other are garbage cats.

That would be my guess.

 

[ford_racer]

If you think about it, the lifespan of the nine cats would adequately cover a normal human lifespan.

However, of the 9 cats I've owned in my life that I can remember (including my 3 current cats), I can't recall any being overly similar. At least, not to the point where certain untaught behavioral cues would raise questions.

Depends on the cat.

My grandmother had a 2 or so month old stray come to her while my mom was roughly 3 months pregnant with me, making it 22 years old, and the damn thing is still kicking.

 

[Vigilante]

Previous scents is a good idea, plus your own or anyone else's personality affects the cat. But generally each cat I have had is different.

Current cat likes to be hit with objects like newspapers, books, your hand, a rolling pin. Anything I find around the house, I can smack him and he just starts purring. I have another that you can mistake for dead most of the time and a third that rides on your shoulder. All very different animals brought up in the same house and same way.

 

[pho_phizzat]

Previous scents is a good idea, plus your own or anyone else's personality affects the cat. But generally each cat I have had is different.

Current cat likes to be hit with objects like newspapers, books, your hand, a rolling pin. Anything I find around the house, I can smack him and he just starts purring. I have another that you can mistake for dead most of the time and a third that rides on your shoulder. All very different animals brought up in the same house and same way.

LOL rolling pin

 

[oldmodman]

I've got four cats now, all captured as feral kittens and they are all totally different personality wise. And they are very much like people. They all follow the "rules" as long as you are watching them. They suck up to people when they want something. It's time to get up when they say it's time to get up. And so on.
And none of them crap in the tub. But I make sure they always have a clean cat box.

 

[esqeddy]

You're getting too deep way too early for me John. All I know is I used to have a cat that would use my tub for a litter box too.

I know, I know.

Since I no longer post in Smackdown, I decided to start making some posts in Roadside. I further decided to start a series of threads about odd observations and ideas, and off subject topics that are rarely if ever discussed, but which are topics that most people have some personal experience with.

If you think about it, the lifespan of the nine cats would adequately cover a normal human lifespan.

However, of the 9 cats I've owned in my life that I can remember (including my 3 current cats), I can't recall any being overly similar. At least, not to the point where certain untaught behavioral cues would raise questions.

I have thought about that human life span thing, and also how the average life span could be lower than ours in many spanish speaking third world countries, and in Turkish/Arabic countries such that a cat would have less lives in those countries.

Also, I guess I should clarify something. Not ALL the cats I have had have been similar or chronologically sequential without overlapping periods of ownership. I have had more than one cat at a time. Further, I have seen many many different personalities in cats other than that of which I speak. In fact, I have a second cat now that is strictly an outdoor car. However, there is something about this cat, in its personality, in its general behavior, and in its connection with me, that makes this cat seem likes its known me all my life. And when I look back at the personalities and traits of those cats that have been the closest to me, I realized that there were some striking similarites. Further, of those cats, I have never owned two of them at the same time.

YES, YES, YES!!! I know there are many possible logical and perfectly plausible explanations for many of these things other than a cat's sould being reincarnated 9 times into a new body after its prior body meets it's fate. But Hey! I just like thinking about weird ideas sometimes! :rolling::rolling::burnout:

My guess would be that your old cats left scents around the house that served as indicators to the new cat what its habits were. For instance when the new cat went to the bathtub from the scent of the old cat it knew that it used it as a litter box and thus learned to the use it as one too. As far as eating the same odd foods, I dont know, but cats are weird. Some are picky about their foods and other are garbage cats.

That would be my guess.

This is a very good idea. Just like perhaps I prefer cats with a certain perosnality type and that type of cat prefers me (I can't imagine why!). Therefore those cats tend to thrive and bond better in my care than other cats do. And that this is why I always find that special "connection" of which I speak with a series of cats.

Who knows? But I swear, its like the last two cats I have had are the very same person deep down inside. Its weird.

Previous scents is a good idea, plus your own or anyone else's personality affects the cat. But generally each cat I have had is different.

Current cat likes to be hit with objects like newspapers, books, your hand, a rolling pin. Anything I find around the house, I can smack him and he just starts purring. I have another that you can mistake for dead most of the time and a third that rides on your shoulder. All very different animals brought up in the same house and same way.

The effect of my personality on the cat. Another possible factor. Now the getting smacked around thing is just hilarious!

I've got four cats now, all captured as feral kittens and they are all totally different personality wise. And they are very much like people. They all follow the "rules" as long as you are watching them. They suck up to people when they want something. It's time to get up when they say it's time to get up. And so on.
And none of them crap in the tub. But I make sure they always have a clean cat box.

My cat rarely does it. I'm talking like once every few months or so. But when he finds himself in a pinch, what better could I ask? I have neither the expense nor hassle or the SMELL of maintaining a litter box. A wonderful trade off in my book. :rolling::rolling::burnout:

 

[Stroszek]

Interesting phenomenon. Perhaps each cat learned to emulate the characteristics and everyday habits of its owner?









j/k

 

[FL-Orange]

Depends on the cat.

My grandmother had a 2 or so month old stray come to her while my mom was roughly 3 months pregnant with me, making it 22 years old, and the damn thing is still kicking.

We had a half siamese that my father took in from an Army buddy that came back to the states and couldn't keep him live to 27 years. He was a part time outside cat who would get into scraps until he was about 25 or so.

 

[CobraBob]

Pretty deep John. LOL! A lot of interesting coincidences there IMO. Here's a question for ya. Why are cats the only animal with "9 lives". And do tigers and lions have 9 lives as well? But the poor lowly dog, "man's best friend" only gets one life? Seems like a bit of favoritism IMO. :lol1:

 

[Ironhand]

Interesting phenomenon. Perhaps each cat learned to emulate the characteristics and everyday habits of its owner?









j/k

Like pissin in the tub??? :lol: