How Many Lives Does A Cat Have: Myths And Reality, Features Of The Feline Organism, Mystical Interpretations And Their Possible Justifications

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

How many lives does a cat have

The popular assertion that a cat has nine lives is so long and firmly established in our life that we habitually pronounce this phrase without thinking too much about its meaning. In fact, there is a very interesting story behind it, however, like everything related to cats.

Content

• 1 Why are there so many myths and legends about cats

  • 1.1 They can fly

    1.1.1 Video: how the cat falls

  • 1.2 The fate of the black cat is not easy

    1.2.1 Video: the whole truth about black cats

  • 1.3 Transformations of Bayun's cat

    1.3.1 Video: who is Bayun the cat

  • 1.4 The rich cat

    1.4.1 Video: tricolor cat - happiness in the house

  • 1.5 Bakeneko, maneki-neko and others

  • 1.6 The cat loves no one but himself

    1.6.1 Photo gallery: cats who know how to be friends for real

• 2 Features of cats - science, history and mysticism

  • 2.1 So how many lives do they have

    2.1.1 Video: Truth and Myths of the Nine Cat Lives

  • 2.2 Do cats have souls

    • 2.2.1 Cats and religions of the world
    • 2.2.2 Photo gallery: cats at temples and monasteries

  • 2.3 Where do cats go after death

    2.3.1 Video: do animals have a soul - the opinion of an Orthodox priest

• 3 Cats are healers

  • 3.1 Self-healing of cats from serious illnesses

    1 Video: her own psychic

  • 3.2 Do cats know how to heal people

    • 3.2.1 Video: is it true that cats heal
    • 3.2.2 The purring island of Aoshima
    • 3.2.3 Video: cats from the most "healing" island in Japan
• 4 Reviews

Why are there so many myths and legends about cats?

A cat has been living next to a person for many millennia, surprisingly preserving its authenticity. At first, people reacted to her taming purely pragmatic: they needed an ally in the fight against armadas of mice and rats, destroying the precious harvest, and the little forest hunter was like no other for this purpose. But then the person began to notice the manifestation of all kinds of, in his opinion, witchcraft and other obscure abilities behind the cat. Without worrying about intelligible explanations of these phenomena, people began to compose all sorts of fairy tales about cats.

A cat is the perfect companion for a lonely person

They can fly

The most illustrative of the oddities of a cat - it does not crash to death, falling from a great height, and lands on all four of its legs. Strictly speaking, this is not always the case. Every veterinarian has in his medical practice many sad examples of how he failed to save such a patient after a fall.

Cat "flights", alas, are not always successful

The unique ability of the domestic cat, inherited from its wild ancestors, was explored back in the nineteenth century by Etienne-Jules Mare, a famous French inventor and physiologist, a great fan of chronophotography and cinema. The scientist owns the authorship of the famous photograph, in which it is perfectly visible frame by frame how a cat thrown from a height turns over and groups in the air to land on springy paws.

Etienne-Jules Mare showed his famous photographs at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences, of which he was chairman

This "trick" can be demonstrated not only by adult animals, but even by three-month-old kittens. For a long time, it was generally accepted that when cats fall, they actively "rule" their tail - they use it as a propeller or balance to shift the center of their body in the right direction. But it turned out that the tail has nothing to do with it - short-tailed and even almost tailless breeds land on their paws with the same success as their long-tailed counterparts.

In fact, a cat planning to the ground regulates its movement, wriggling with its whole body, vigorously bending and unbending it in order to roll over with its stomach down. Then he spreads his paws wide like a flying squirrel - this technique helps to slow down the fall and soften the impact on the ground. In such an extreme situation, all the senses are actively involved, primarily vision.

Even kittens can do somersaults in the air to land on all four legs.

The cat carefully looks at the landing site, and in the last moments it stretches its paws as much as possible and arches its back - this is how it sinks to the ground in order to increase shock absorption. It is interesting that a fall from a low height can have much more harmful consequences than from a large one - the cat needs time to have time to properly deploy its body.

Video: how the cat falls

The so-called feline paradox is fatal for the average person. But some daredevils tried to repeat the cat's landing technique. So, the famous tower jumper, American Brain Fells, in 1960 made a number of experimental jumps, gradually increasing their height.

The fate of the black cat is not easy

The largest number of superstitions and mystical stories are associated, of course, with black cats. It is considered a very bad omen to meet a cat of this color on the way - especially on Friday the 13th. However, in fairness, I must say that in different countries this meeting can have a diametrically opposite interpretation. For example, the Japanese and British are convinced that if a black cat crosses their path, it bodes well.

Black cat - king of superstition

There is an opinion that the black color gives the cat not only the strongest energy, but also the ability to see events simultaneously, as it were, in two worlds: real and parallel, otherworldly. Rumor attributed various mystical talents to black cats, making them accomplices of sorcerers and even evil spirits.

Video: the whole truth about black cats

The fact that it was a black cat, according to Russian fairy tales, who lived with the cute old woman Baba Yaga and participated in many of her dirty tricks, is just an echo of the old massive superstitions generated, most likely, by the unusual appearance of an innocent animal.

The black cat was considered an accomplice of the witch and Baba Yaga

Transformations of Bayun's cat

A very old character in Slavic mythology is the cat Bayun. His image over the long centuries, and even millennia of its existence, has somewhat blurred and lost its specificity. Most of the information about him can be gleaned from old Russian fairy tales - and, by the way, they were never too kind.

Bayun the cat is the personification of our ancestors' fears of cruel predators

Subsequently, the image of a terrible cat softened noticeably and even became domesticated. The evil monster has turned into a wise wizard who, with his purr, makes the pampered children sleepy, and gives adults a break from their day's work and worries.

Bayun the cat is the ruler and keeper of human dreams

Video: who is Bayun the cat

Rich cat

From time immemorial, in Russian villages, it was customary to be the first to launch a cat into a new house - she certainly will be able to agree with the brownie and other small people about peace, harmony and prosperity in this hut. Moreover, the best candidate for such a role was considered a tricolor cat, or, as it was usually called before, a "rich cat".

Tricolor cats have always been attracted by the brightness and unusual color

The secret of the popularity of this color was that, according to Slavic beliefs, a cat should live in the house, the color of the coat of which matches the color of the owners' hair. A lot of people could settle in one hut, and a three-fit cat suited everyone without exception: both blondes, and brunettes, and red.

Cat eyes do not glow by themselves, they reflect some source of light

Video: tricolor cat - happiness in the house

Bakeneko, maneki-neko and others

There is a very curious character in Japanese mythology - bakeneko. Such a kitten can be born from absolutely any cat and in the first years of life is no different from peers. And only by the age of twelve or thirteen - at the age that is considered to be a cat's old age - the cat turns into bakeneko. He begins to walk on his hind legs, like a man, to talk, or even completely turns into a man.

If your cat starts walking on its hind legs in old age, be careful, it may have turned into bakeneko

Bakeneko are angry and not very. The most terrible of them can swallow their owner and take his place - no one will notice the substitution. By the way, these two-tailed werewolves prefer to take not male, but female guise. Bakeneko's favorite pastime is to set fire to various objects with their tails, and the funniest of them love to dance with bright kerchiefs tied on their heads.

Bakeneko - fantastic cats from Japanese folklore

Maneki-neko is a friendly cat originally from Japan

Much cuter is another local mythical cat - maneki-neko, which has gained popularity all over the world. The Japanese willingly put figurines of a cat, waving its paw, at the entrance to the house so that it lures wealth and luck. Porcelain and ceramic maneki-neko of all colors are the most popular talismans, but tricolor “cash cats” are especially fond of buyers.

The cat loves no one but himself

But this is definitely not true. Yes, cats walk by themselves and have their own opinion on every occasion. Yes, they, unlike most dogs, are territorial animals and are very attached to the house, respecting comfort and tranquility in it. But this does not mean at all that cats do not know how to give love, affection and true friendship.

There are not even legends about their touching affection and devotion to people, but quite true stories. There are many stories about how a cat, even after its death, came to its beloved owner to warn him of danger or save his life.

The cat retains love for man even after its death

Cats are often attached not only to people, but also to their pets, including their primordial enemies - dogs and even those animals that, in theory, should be perceived as objects of hunting. Many of these amazing shots are captured by photographers.

Photo gallery: cats who know how to be friends for real

"Horse, ride me," the cat purrs to its friend

The cat and the iguana would love to get to know each other

The goat smells delicious of milk, or maybe she's just a good friend

Eternal enemies can also be friends, especially if they do not know that one of them is a hunter, and the other is a prey

With a reliable friend, like a stone wall

They live like a cat and a dog, which means they are friendly

Pit bull and a cat took chickens to raise

The Internet was shocked by a touching story of friendship between a domestic cat and a wild fox

Features of cats - science, history and mysticism

The cat occupies a special place in the company of pets. The amazing properties of her body have always excited the human imagination, and some of them still have not received a clear scientific explanation.

The cat is a living clot of magical energies

So how many lives do they have

The idea of nine feline lives comes from ancient Egypt, where the number "nine" generally had a special meaning. The Egyptians were very systematic about their deities, of whom there were a total of 27, and for simplicity of counting, they divided the supreme patrons into three divisions of nine gods each.

In one of these divine groupings, a certain Bastet (or Bast), a goddess who was usually portrayed in a feline guise, was the leader. She specialized in such pleasant tasks as love, joy, fun, beauty and successful childbirth and, of course, patronized cats. To the extent that Bastet was allowed exactly nine reincarnations in earthly images by her leadership, this ability was automatically transferred to cats. Sometimes Father Bastet, the supreme Egyptian god Ra, also turned into a cat.

Women in ancient Egypt asked the cat goddess for protection and protection

Following the ancient Egyptians, the theme of nine feline lives was taken up by the ancient Greeks and other peoples. Selena, the mysterious Hellenic goddess, personified the radiance of the moon and was often a mere mortal in the form of a black cat with eyes that glow like yellow round moons in the night.

Goddess Selena loved to take the form of a black fluffy cat with yellow eyes

Medieval Europe experienced a massive brutal extermination of cats - they were accused of a plague epidemic. The fact is that rats were the main carriers of the terrible disease, and where rats were, there were their main enemies, cats. All the cats were exterminated, but for some reason the black ones got the most, and for the company - and their mistresses, who were declared witches and burned at the stake along with the tailed pets.

It was generally accepted that witches are able to turn into cats and in this guise do all kinds of nasty things to people. The Scots called these cats "kiteshi" (fairy cat) and assured that they are only black and with a white spot on the chest. Eight times a witch can turn into a kiteshi, but for the ninth time she will remain a cat forever.

The Kellas cat can now be seen only in the museum exposition - as a stuffed animal

Medieval minstrels have somewhat reduced the number of feline lives - from nine to seven. These original street "bards" were in great honor, and their satirical works were passed literally from mouth to mouth. The hero of one of these popular poems "The Novel of the Fox Reinecke" was King Tybalt - a cat who had a very nasty character, but endowed with not one, but 7 lives. It was then that the version of the seven cat lives appeared.

The hero of the medieval "Novel of the Fox Reinecke" was a cat endowed with seven lives

Even fewer lives - only six - are meted out to cats in Islam. Muslims love these animals and consider them pure, unlike dogs. At one time, according to legend, the prophet Muhammad was saved from a snake by his pet - the cat Muezza. Different legends describe the color of the savior in different ways: she was either white and odd-eyed, or, conversely, black, or striped, or even Abyssinian.

Muslims have great respect for cats

There are a huge number of cat legends in the Muslim world. These animals are welcomed and fed in every possible way, without restricting their movement. After all, Muhammad, a great lover of cats, commanded that they be considered free and not made objects of bargaining or exchange.

Video: Truth and Myths About the Nine Cat Lives

Do cats have souls

To the question of whether animals have an immortal soul, there is no one answer - everyone gives it himself in accordance with his own beliefs and convictions. Orthodoxy endows with eternal life only the "crown of creation" - man, and animals, dying, must leave forever. In Buddhism and Hinduism, the earthly period, measured by any entity, is only the next stage in the chain of its rebirth.

Cats and religions of the world

The perception of cats in the religions of the world is ambiguous, and at different times it was different. With the conditional division into Eastern and Western religions, the former always treated these animals much warmer. In the countries of Islam, they believe that the prophet Muhammad himself patronizes cats for their past merits and shows appropriate respect for them.

The perception of a cat was not easy in Christianity. If at the dawn of his attitude towards the animal was generally positive or at least neutral, then over time it sharply deteriorated. Especially "distinguished" Catholic Europe, where at the peak of the Middle Ages cats were stoned and burned alive, attributing to them all conceivable and inconceivable sins and vices.

Historians associate such an outburst of hatred with the loss of a woman of her position in society. Casting down from the sacred heights the cult of the feminine, declaring it vicious, dirty and almost satanic, Catholicism indiscriminately hooked a punishing hand and cats - too freedom-loving and incomprehensible, who were always somewhere near women.

The painting "Young Lady with a Cat" by the Italian artist Francesco Ubertino is one of the many life-affirming portraits of the Renaissance

Whatever the attitude towards cats in different religions, almost all of them agreed on one thing: they are the only animals that were allowed into temples. It had nothing to do with questions of faith and religious canons - just cats helped get rid of greedy rodents, rats and mice, and thereby save church supplies.

Photo gallery: cats at temples and monasteries

A faithful cat must accompany its owner everywhere

Buddhist monks in their free time are engaged in the education and "enlightenment" of cats

A large number of cats usually live in monasteries

For cats, the entrance to the mosque is free at any time

For some reason, images of Buddha are especially fond of cats.

Where do cats go after death?

Unfortunately, cats do not live long and often leave before us. Naturally, we are interested in what happens to our pets after death, whether we will meet them again someday.

The Japanese are very fond of their cats, consider them family members and are sure to bury them with honors. For this, there are special funeral homes that offer special funeral procedures with the participation of Buddhist monks. After cremation, the ashes of the pet are kept at home, having equipped a memorial with fresh flowers for this.

In Japan, the ashes of a deceased cat remain forever in the house where she lived.

The Scandinavian legend tells that pets leave behind a rainbow after death. There they will someday meet with us, their masters.

Cats go to heaven over the rainbow bridge - there they will wait for their beloved owners

There is another belief - supposedly the person who tortured and killed cats will also meet his victims when he dies. And little will not seem to him. However, the killer of the cat will be punished during his lifetime - seven unsuccessful years.

Video: do animals have a soul - the opinion of an Orthodox priest

Cats are healers

Another common myth: there is no need to treat a cat - it will heal itself of all ailments. If there is a rational kernel in this statement, then it is very, very small. Cats often get sick and recover hard - especially purebred pets with a complex heredity and weakened immunity. If you do not heal, you rely on the mystical forces of nature - you will simply lose your pet.

Self-healing of cats from serious illnesses

The amazing vitality of cats is not a myth, but a reality. They are able to go without food and even drink for a long time and survive in situations that are fatal to other animals.

The most important know-how of cats-healers is purring at certain frequencies - thanks to these sound vibrations, the normal functioning of the body is quickly restored and wounds heal. There are many stories of the miraculous self-healing of cats and even their resurrection from the dead. How they do it - we will probably never understand. Here are some surprising facts:

• The bandits discharged a clip of a pneumatic pistol in the head of the shelter cat Leo, he survived after a difficult operation.

• The British People's Veterinary Dispensary presented the prize to Robbie the cat, who survived despite severe burns.

  

  Robbie the cat survived severe burns

• In Australia, 18-year-old Manas cat survived after 45 minutes of washing in a car.
• Bart the Cat, hit by a car, returned home five days after his burial.
• In Boston, Sugar the cat remained safe and sound after falling from the 19th floor.

• The cat Camomile was rescued in a fire on the AN-24 flight Tomsk - Surgut.

  

  Cat Daisy escaped from a fire on an airplane

• A crossbow arrow pierced Kotu Mu-Mu's head - he remained alive and well.

  

  The crossbow arrow in the head did not interrupt the life of the cat Mu-Mu

• In Britain, the cat Cupcake survived after eight days in a parcel.
• Rosie's cat was shot from a shotgun - 20 pellets were removed, another 30 remained in her body, this did not prevent her from continuing her life.

Video: herself a psychic

Can cats heal people?

Many cat owners are already aware of their healing abilities. These animals are able to relieve fatigue and irritation, calm down, heal from depression. Scientists have come to the conclusion that bioenergetic contact with a cat has a beneficial effect not only on the human nervous system, but also significantly helps with mental disorders, heart disease, brain disorders, and even contributes to the complete elimination of alcoholism and drug addiction.

Contact with a cat has a beneficial effect on the human nervous system

Video: is it true that cats heal

"Purring" Aoshima Island

The small Japanese island of Aoshima has become very attractive for tourists due to the fact that a myriad of cats live here - there are many times more of them than the islanders themselves. Aoshima is a fishing island, and once there were hordes of insolent rats that spoiled the nets. Fishermen, tired of patching holes in their tools, brought several cats and cats to the island. The new settlers quickly dealt with the rodents and soon began to reign on this small piece of land, rightfully recognizing it as their territory.

Choral cat "singing" and the ability to pet many affectionate animals have a powerful relaxing and healing effect on people. In any case, tourists themselves equate a trip to the island with a psychotherapy session - and come back here again and again.

Video: cats from the most "healing" island in Japan

Reviews

The supernatural ability of cats to deceive death has surprised and frightened people since ancient times, giving rise to a huge number of myths and legends. And today we do not know too much about these pets, although they have been living next to us for a long time.