The Many Lives of a Cat

Think you have nine lives, do you? I saved you once...

don't make me save you again.

-- Erin Hunter, children's author(s), "Warrior Cats"

I have been around cats all my life. I've probably been around them in all my other lives, as well.  I believe in rebirth, reincarnation, multiple lives.  I believe in the multiple realms of existence and the lessons we must learn in each so we may move forward to the final realm, the non-physical immaterial world of mind only.  Some say there are 31 planes of existence, some say 10 or 7, but if the number really matters, how far must you have progressed?  Perhaps a cat is endowed with nine lives for a reason beyond our understanding, which is why humans call it a myth, an old wives tale.  These "nine lives" of a cat might just be the initial lesson of immortality; a taste of what will ultimately be achieved at the final plane, the final realm.

I can't ever remember purchasing a cat, or a dog for that matter.  We rescued a few from the animal shelter, especially the dogs, but cats are primarily volunteers.  Dogs are cats that haven't attained the realm of "cat," as yet.  Cats show up when you least expect them, or when you are most in need of them.  They don't ask, they just appear as if to say, "Well, here I am.  When do we eat?"  We are not here to teach them much, primarily because they exist to teach us volumes.  Whatever they "learn" from us, they do so for their own entertainment, to boost our fragile ego or, perhaps, to make us shut up about whatever it is we want them to "learn" from us.  Cats exist to eat, sleep, and play.  That's it.  Playing, well, it's usually when they get into trouble.  It comes with the territory.

“A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays."

-- William Shakespeare

Cats, almost always, seem to land on their feet.  It's probably genetic.  Someone, probably a scientist, named this ability the "righting reflex" and it stuck.  This reflex presents itself about six weeks after birth.  The height of the fall seems to present more questions.  One cat fell 32 stories and was released from care 48 hours later.  doesn't seem to be an issue.  It seems that once they reach their max velocity of 60mph they relax and their body acts much like that of the flying squirrel.  Read more about this here:  Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?

Really?  32 stories?  That's about 275-foot freefall onto concrete.  We'd be scraping the bloody sludge left by a human off the sidewalk with a snow shovel but, then, we're a much heavier sack of water than a cat and have no righting reflex, not that it would help.  I wonder at what altitude the cat starts screaming as it realizes it hasn't hit that ground yet?  And, which falls faster, the cat or the contents of its bowels?  Look out below!

My favorite cartoon is of a cat standing against the wall on the 32nd-story ledge of a highrise building, and contemplating suicide while a dog is leaning on its paw in the windowsill just next to it, smiling, and telling the cat, "I don't think you've really thought this through."  The point being, the cat will have to jump eight more times.  I think suicide is pointless if you're going to end up right back at the same lesson you were supposed to be learning in the first place.

"I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through."

-- Jules Verne

The "nine lives" myth is found in many cultures dating back to early Egypt.  Some say cats actually have six or seven lives, and even twelve, but many cultures think cats defy death.  And, maybe they do.  To understand this, however, we first must wrap our minds around the fact that what we call death is simply the shedding of this mortal shell we inhabit in order to survive this reality until we move on to the next.  We never really die, we just wear out the vehicle we're riding in.  So it is with cats.

In my life, I have survived mishaps which should have ended my existence here.  Most notably, a motorcycle accident where I was thrown over the hood of the car that hit me after the car came to a complete stop.  That one kind of defied the laws of physics.  Another was rolling a wagon that sealed all the escape routes except the back hatch which I was thrown through before it sealed, as well.  The highway patrol officer said it was the only time he could ever say that not wearing a seat belt was what saved my life.

These are just two of several instances in my own life, and we all can probably think of times we were beyond lucky.  I figure I've burned through four lives so far, maybe five, and if we nine is the magic number then, at sixty-six years of age, I should be fine.  If the number of lives is six, I'd better watch my own back.  My point is that, probably, as it is with us so it is with cats.

"One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives."

-- Mark Twain

I think we're allowed to survive these "tests" in order to teach us, providing we are openminded enough to see it, that life will continue and death in this existence is simply another step along our path to something greater.

Meanwhile, a bit of advice.  You might find out that the best time to sneak up on a cat is when they're watching a train go by.  They can't hear you from all the noise, and the vibration will mask anything they might have felt.  While you might find scaring the crap out of them quite the hoot, remember that you have to sleep... sometimes, and revenge is a dish best served cold.

"Revenge is a dish best served... at every meal"

-- Grumpy Cat

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.