To all of you who have always believed that cats have nine lives…
Well, to tell you the truth, it is actually a myth! We know, we were shocked when we first found out, too and sadly, cats only have one life just like any other living creature.
Photo via especiallycats.com
However, cats are probably the most independent of pets out there, like, they can withstand falls and other serious accidents without being fatally wounded which is perhaps where the saying ‘a cat has nine lives actually comes from’.
And this is all thanks to a cat’s anatomy, according to Petplan:
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They have a large surface area compared to their weight which reduces the force of landing
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Cats have evolved to live in trees and therefore have adapted to conquer falls
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Their ‘righting reflex’ enables them to twist their bodies and land safely on their feet
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Cats have flexibility in their bones and ligaments, which help them to sustain minimal injury from many different accidents
But, just because they’re cool, that doesn’t mean you can test drop your cats for fun, because they can actually get hurt!
The myth that cats have multiple lives exists across the world, though it’s not always nine lives… and the number varies from different cultures.
For example, in certain regions of Spain, it is believed that cats have seven lives, while Turkish and Arabic legends say cats have six lives. Pretty interesting, huh?
So far, there is no scientific evidence that suggests cats have nine lives, which means our feline babies have only one life, just like everyone else.
So, as responsible pet owners, make sure to give them tons of love and take care of them as you would with any other pet!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
