• Question: Do cats really have 9 lives?

    Asked by maevelewisxo to Damien, Rachael, Simon, Suzi, Tim on 16 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Suzi Gage

      Suzi Gage answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Hi @maevelewisxo

      I don’t think so, although I’m a dog person myself! That said, my Dad used to call cats ‘wastes of fur’ and if they came in to the garden he’d try and throw his slippers at them! He never hit one, so maybe that’s because the cats have 9 lives, or maybe he’s just a bad throw (or maybe he was only pretending to try and hit them!!!)

      I think it just refers to their amazing ability to land on their feet a lot (there’s another question about whether cats always land on their feet, have a look at that as well)

      Hope this answers your question!

    • Photo: Damien Hall

      Damien Hall answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      I’m a cat person myself (better stop talking to Suzi). She’s right I think, except to add that cats don’t just land on their feet a lot – they can also squeeze through tiny spaces that we would think they would get crushed in, and they can move and change direction incredibly fast – so they can avoid a lot of situations that might kill or injure a larger, slower animal.

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