I’ll quote from Dr Desmond Morris’s book CATWATCHING: “A description of the impact of a severe city storm, written by Jonathan Swift in 1710, supports this view [the death by drowning of stray cats and dogs after a storm in cities where there was poor drainage]: ‘Now from all parts the swelling kennels flow, and bear their trophies with them as they go…drowned puppies, stinking sprats, all drenched in mud, dead cats, and turnip tops, come tumbling down the flood.'”
The infographic explores the alternative theories:
More: Sayings
Here is a little more:
The phrase “it is raining cats and dogs” is an idiom that means it is raining very heavily. Its exact origin is unclear, but there are several theories about how it came to be:
- Norse Mythology Theory – Some believe the phrase comes from Norse mythology, where cats were associated with storms and dogs with wind. The combination of both might have symbolized a violent storm.
- Medieval Drainage Theory – In 17th- and 18th-century Europe, houses had thatched roofs, and during heavy rain, small animals like cats and dogs could be washed out of the roof or street gutters, making it look as if they had fallen from the sky.
- Literary Origins – The phrase may have been popularized by 17th-century writers. The English poet Henry Vaughan (1651) wrote about a roof where “dogs and cats rained in shower,” and Jonathan Swift (1738) mentioned heavy rain flooding the streets with dead animals in A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation.
- Greek Linguistic Roots – Some suggest that the phrase could derive from an old Greek expression cata doxa, meaning “contrary to belief,” implying an unusually heavy downpour.
While the true origin remains uncertain, the phrase has been widely used in English to describe torrential rain in a colorful and exaggerated way.
