Question: why do cats have nine lives

Melissa U answered on 22 Jul 2025:

I think this is a ‘saying’ rather than being scientific fact – we use the saying to mean that often cats do dangerous things (like jumping from a great height) and manage to survive in a way that other species might not, because they’re incredibly agile. But as vets, unfortunately we see cats who have been in accidents such as being hit by a car or badly injured through fighting with another cat, so they are just as vulnerable as other species of animals in those kind of situations.