Infographic explains why cats are described as having nine lives

We know that cats are great survivors. It seems that they have the ability to avoid death when other animals might succumb under similar life threatening circumstances because of their superb athleticism and acute senses. Some put it down to luck. But why describe this skill as having nine lives? Why not three lives or five lives? Why nine?

Well, here is the answer in an infographic that I prepared today based on the words of a great animal behaviourist and author. The answer is simple in one sense and awfully complicated in another because I am yet to find a good explanation for the what the 'trinity of trinities' is.

But here is one from Google Gemini. It does not explain how 9 lives signifies luck but I think we infer that the number 9 is special for the reasons described below and because it is special it can be attached to luck.

The term "trinity of trinities" has two main interpretations:

• Christian Theology: This refers to the concept of the Christian Trinity itself, where one God exists in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. Proponents of this view reason that the number three and the concept of a trinity appear throughout creation, reflecting the nature of God (https://www.icr.org/).
• General Numerology: More broadly, "trinity of trinities" simply refers to the number nine (3 x 3). The number nine holds significance in various cultures and belief systems due to its mathematical properties and its frequent appearance in natural phenomena (https://www.bookofthrees.com/contact/).

Infographic

Bing Copilot says this about the trinity of trinities:

The Trinity of Trinities is a concept that represents the ultimate expression of divine unity and complexity. It’s challenging for relative beings to fully grasp, but here’s a simplified explanation:

1. The Doctrine of the Trinity: In Christianity, the Trinity refers to one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. These three are one in essence but distinct in person.

2. The Shield of Trinity: This iconic diagram visually represents the correlation between the three Persons of the Trinity. It’s often depicted as an equilateral triangle with each corner labeled as “Father,” “Son,” and “Holy Spirit.” The lines connecting them signify their eternal relationship.

3. The Trinity of Trinities: Beyond the basic Trinity, this concept suggests a deeper understanding of divine relationships. It encompasses the interplay of the three Persons within the Godhead, revealing their harmonious unity and mutual love. While challenging to comprehend fully, it invites us to explore the profound nature of God.

In summary, the Trinity of Trinities invites us to contemplate the intricate unity and relational dynamics within the divine nature. 🙏✨

Are you any the wiser? I am not. (✿◡‿◡)

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice

"It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice". This is a Chinese saying (proverb) in which the person saying it isn't concerned about the person making decisions and their behaviour or skin colour or background et cetera but what decisions they make and whether they are pragmatic and workable or not. 

In traditional Chinese (as per Google Translate): 不管黑貓白貓，抓到老鼠就行.

The colour of the cat represents the different parties and people with different opinions. But these are less important than achieving the objective in anyway possible.

It's a phrase which advocates pragmatism. And pragmatism means making things work no matter how, without being overly concerned with how you do it, how you achieve it or even being overly concerned with ethics and morality. Sometimes even criminality might be thrown away in order to meet the objective, pragmatically, which is desired.

Zimbabwe

The reason why I have picked up on that saying is because apparently, in Zimbabwe, the colour of the cat matters! This appears to mean that the person or the group or the party making the decisions matters more than it should and it is probably getting in the way of achieving a result.

House of Cards

I am currently watching the Netflix series House of Cards which is about the politics surrounding the president of the United States. And if the depiction is true, there's a lot of pragmatism in those politics. You get the job done no matter how you achieve it. In the series there's even murder. In fact, the president murders two people! That is the ultimate form of pragmatism.

Below is what my artificial intelligence assistant, Mr Poe, says about the proverb

The proverb "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice" is a saying that originated in China and was popularized by Deng Xiaoping, a Chinese politician. It is often used to convey the idea that the outcome or result is more important than the specific method or means used to achieve it.

In its original context, this proverb was used to emphasize the importance of practical results over ideological purity. Deng Xiaoping used this saying to advocate for economic reforms in China, suggesting that it didn't matter whether those reforms were in line with strict communist ideology as long as they yielded positive economic outcomes.

By using the metaphor of a cat catching mice, the proverb implies that the primary concern should be the effectiveness of the action rather than the superficial characteristics or appearance. The colour of the cat (black or white) represents the different approaches or ideologies, while the act of catching mice symbolizes achieving the desired goal.

In a broader sense, this proverb can be interpreted to mean that it is more important to focus on the practical aspects and results of a task or action rather than getting caught up in theoretical debates or superficial distinctions. It encourages people to prioritize effectiveness and pragmatism over rigid adherence to specific ideologies or methods.

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I did not know what Mr Poe would say so my words come from my mind and I've not copied from this AI program's answer.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

French expression of the Day: 'Comme chien et chat'

The French expression 'comme chien et chat' might date back to the 16th or 17th century. It means what you think it means: to fight like cat and dog. The strict translation is 'like dog and cat'. The English idiom is to fight like cat and dog whereas the French version is to be (in French 'comme' or like) a cat and dog.

The saying is based on the rather old-fashioned belief that cats and dogs always fight; not true in millions of households because the dog is socialised to cats and vice versa. 

However, the dog chases the cat because dogs are predators. But the cat might chase a tiny dog as cats are predators too.

The English version might be used like this: "They've been married for 40 years but for the past ten, they fought like cat and dog".

Or "They love each other but fight like cat and dog."

It is often used in the context of a love-hate relationship.

Why do cats have 9 lives?

Holy Trinity - 3 doors - by stevecadman

Cats have numerous lives because they seem lucky in getting out of trouble that might cause injury and/or death. It is not luck. Cats are intuitively smart and very athletic. But why, "9 lives"? Why not 3 or 5 lives?

The answer is that the number 9 is associated with luck. This it seems goes back to biblical times. We know about the holy trinity: God the father, the son and the holy ghost - three entities.

People like the idea of three. Three is a better number than two. Apparently it used to be be God the father and son (2). But the holy ghost (or holy spirit) was added as it was a better concept.

To that we can add the "three qualities of the universe: Time, Space, and Matter" (1). And thus we have 3 x 3 = 9 - the trinity of trinities.

In medieval times, numbers had more significance. They still do. But in ancient times numbers had a mystical quality and were, for example, incorporated into architecture.

Note: (1) Source: What is Biblical Numerology?

Cat Has Nine Lives

We understand the principle behind the phrase, "a cat has nine lives", meaning that the cat is resilient and tough. But why nine. Why not 6 or 10, for example? These sayings hark back to another age, of superstition and ill formed beliefs. In this instance it refers to what was considered a lucky number, 9 in ancient times as it was the sum total of the "trinity of trinities".


Holy Trinity - Father, Son Holy Spirit, one God - photo by A. Davey

Trinity means 3 and the trinity of trinities means 3 x 3 = 9. Since the 3rd century the Christian doctrine of the Trinity has been explained as "the one God exists in three Persons and one substance, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". Three persons in one Godhead. (src: Wikipedia - for Trinity)



Cat Has Nine Lives -- Photo: published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License -- this site is for charitable purposes in funding cat rescue.

No Room to Swing a Cat

This is the origin of the phrase, "there is no room to swing a cat". The word "cat" in this instance refers to an instrument of punishment, a form of whip, used in the British navy used in the 17th and 18th centuries (and probably other countries). The whip had nine separate knotted thongs and its full name was a "cat-o'-nine-tails" (a cat of nine tails). The word o' was a shortened version of the word of.

Navy personnel were punished by being flogged with the "cat". This happened above decks as down below it was too cramped. There wasn't enough room for the person enforcing the punishment to swing the whip, the cat-o'-nine-tails.

One last point. The reason why the whip's name is based on the humble cat, is because it cut the skin of the seaman and left scars that were reminiscent of the damage done by a cat, presumably a large wildcat.

Here are a couple of young men trying it out!!.......

• No Room to Swing a Cat to Having Kittens
• cat sayings (3)

Having Kittens

This is the origin of the English phrase, "having kittens". It is used like this. "She'll have kittens when she finds out about it". So the phrase is intended to tell us that the person in question will be distraught and upset when she finds out about something. For example, she may have been away on holiday and her neighbor discovers that her home has been burgled and speaks to a friend about it and uses the phrase in the conversation.

At first sight there is no obvious connection between having kittens and being distraught. The only possible connection is the case of a pregnant women having a miscarriage because she is very upset, emotionally distressed and possibly angry. But why kittens? {note: In the English language the verb "to have" can be used to mean to give birth to, "She's going to have twins, you know"}

Surprisingly as recently as the 17th century a women might cite that she had, "cats in the belly", as a reason why she needed an abortion. And she would have meant it, it seems. This was a throwback to medieval times when people believed in witches and when black cats were seen as witches "familiars" (companions).

During, what seems now like a dark period of English life, if a pregnant women was in pain it was sometimes believed that she was bewitched and that she had kittens inside her and the kittens were clawing at her womb. It was also thought that as she was a witch she could destroy the kittens to terminate the pregnancy.

The connection then is made between being in great discomfort, emotional distress and pain to the subject of giving birth to kittens ("having kittens").

This is the real thing! No humans, no superstition. Just plain simply kitten birth. You know cats in medieval times didn't have ridiculous superstitions which caused untold misery to people (witches were burnt). Today in part of Africa some people still believe in withcraft and it still causes untold suffering and criminality:





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Cat in Hell's Chance

This post explains the origin of the phrase, "Cat in hell's chance". It is used like this, "He didn't have a cat in hell's chance the poor devil.....", meaning he had no hope. It normally refers to a life threatening situation in which the person is killed or injured although it might be used in the context of, for example, a sporting occasion when a sportsman is trying to achieve the seemingly impossible.

This phrase is an abbreviation of the phrase,"No more chance than a cat in hell without claws". This referred to the hopeless situation of being without weapons (claws) when needed.

This turns my mind to the hideous (for me) practice of declawing. About 20 million cats are declawed in the United States and each one is wrong. It is big bucks though for the vets. Sorry but true. Some cats haven't got a cat in hell's chance of keeping the top of their toe. Declawing is a misdescription to assuage the guilt of those involved in it. A lot more than the claw is amputated. Please read these:

• Declaw cats - two stories based on fact in which cats were killed because they were declawed.
• Helmi Flick on declawing
• Psychology of declawing

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Let the Cat Out of the Bag

This post explains the origin of the phrase, "let the cat out of the bag". It dates back to the 18th century and refers to a market day trick. Piglets were taken to market in a small bag. The con man or trickster would put a cat in the bag instead of a pig. When and if the buyer insisted on seeing the pig the seller would say that the pig might escape if he opened the bag. If the cat did escape (I hope many did) the con man's game was up, he was exposed and he had let the cat out of the bag (meaning in modern parlance, disclosing a secret).



Another old phrase is linked to this one, "Never buy a pig in a poke". Both are rarely used today, the former is more current than the latter, however. The word "poke" refers to the bag in which the cat (or pig was placed). The phrase is saying that a buyer should not trust a seller of a pig when the pig is kept in the bag (or poke).



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