Why do cats have nine lives?

They don’t.

“According to a myth in many cultures, cats have multiple lives. In many countries, they are believed to have nine lives, but in some Spanish-speaking regions they are said to have seven lives, while in Turkish and Arabic traditions the number of lives is six. The myth is attributed to the natural suppleness and swiftness cats exhibit to escape life-threatening situations. Also lending credence to this myth is the fact that falling cats often land on their feet, using an instinctive righting reflex to twist their bodies around. Nonetheless, cats can still be injured or killed by a high fall.”

Source.

nibble?

Because ten just seems superfluous?
They need those lives to better haunt your every waking step until such time as they consume your tortured soul while you sleep!

Really, probably because they would disappear for long periods such that the people who noticed figured they were dead. Then they would “mystically” turn up again even after disasters, particularly bad weather, or seemingly lethal accidents.

Just to piss you off ;-)

Because they’re so cute :) They deserve not nine lives but to live…. forever!!

To turn your life into hell like this stinkin little putty cat that just wouldn’t go away

I’ve always thought it was because they have a remarkable ability to escape injury by things that seem sure to kill them. Kind of like they exchange a life each time they defy death.