Janet Hayward - Living Proof: That Cats Do Have Nine Lives

Cats have played a part in human history for at least 4000 years, and have always carried with them an air of mystique. They were first documented in art and sculptureand possibly also in hieroglyphicsin ancient Eygpt, where they were worshipped as gods and bringers of good fortune. Today many households treat their family pet in much the same way!

Yet life has not always been so indulgent and cosy for our feline friends. As historical survivors of idolatry and hatred, world wars and plagues, its hardly surprising that cats have been bestowed with the mythical power of nine lives.

It is thought that cats were first domesticated in Egypt, at least 1000 years before the rest of the world. Successful protectors of valuable grain stores against ravaging rats, cats soon became sacred animals and were idolised by the ancient Egyptians. They appeared extensively in Egyptian paintings, murals, ceramics and sculpture, and it is believed they were so highly revered that Egyptian women tried to emulate the features of the cat with heavily made-up, kohl-lined eyes.

Cats served an important role as bestowers of symbolic blessings at the most important ceremonies, such as weddings, births and deaths. It is this link to the rites and cycles of life that helped to enhance the reputation cats have for being able to escape disaster using their sixth sense. A more scientific explanation attributes this ability to the cats whiskers, which are highly sensitive to vibration and therefore enable felines to predict events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and even bad storms.

As the Phoenicians and Greeks opened up trade routes, domestic cats appeared in Europe. These highly prized felines were sold as status symbols, and so loved were cats in Greece that even today a cat lover is known as an ailurophilefrom the Greek word for cat, ailouros. Later, cats started to appear in India, China and Japan, where their rodent-catching prowess continued to ensure their pride of place in the family.

After enjoying such an elevated position in society, the dark Middle Ages were a turning point for cats and the peoples total adoration turned swiftly to fear and hatred. As in Egypt, many ceremonial rituals in Europe included cat worship, but the continued rise to power of the Christian church led to suspicion of such pagan ritualsand catsquickly turning into widespread rumour and fear. By the fourteenth century, the cat was no longer a god and had sunk lower than a rat in the eyes of the general population. The order went out for all cats to be sacrificed and for all cat lovers in Europe to be burned as witches. Many believed that witches had the power to survive by turning themselves into cats; a magical feat they could apparently perform nine times.

As if invoking the wrath of these former feline gods, the dramatic order to exterminate all cats had powerful consequences for the history of Europe. The sudden and rapid decrease in the number of cats induced a surge in disease-carrying vermin, which allowed the bubonic plague, or Black Death, to sweep through Europe. Almost a quarter of the population was wiped out by this horrific disease. It is thought that one reason this disaster finally came to an end was because people were too busy avoiding the plague to destroy the surviving catsleaving them to once again flourish and ultimately save humanity from the diseased rats.

By the seventeenth century, cats were again held in high esteem in Europe, lauded in art and literature as fashionable, useful companionsand this state of affairs has continued to the present day. During the two world wars cats were particularly appreciated as they provided companionship to soldiers and kept the mice at bay in the trenches. They were also credited for their uncanny ability to detect the high-frequency sound of planes approaching long before their owners could, giving residents time to rush down into bomb shelters and thus ensure their own survival.

Living Proof that cats do have nine lives is a celebration of this much-loved creature and its amazing ability to survive against all odds. As with many myths, the true origin of the expression cats have nine lives is unknown. One belief is that in ancient times nine was considered a lucky number because it is the Trinity of Trinities. And, as cats have shown throughout history, they do indeed have an uncanny ability to miraculously escape death time and time again, so perhaps this lucky number is particularly well suited to them.

As you will see in the following collection of true stories, many beloved cats have relied on their lucky nine lives to an astonishing degree, whether by defying medical science, surviving a world disaster or taking a marathon hike across the roughest terrain to return to home sweet home. All of these cats were fortunate enough to land on their feetquite literally in the case of the miracle cat who fell from a great height!leaving the devoted owners in no doubt that their cat at least must indeed have nine lives.