Mary Russell, age 14, of Gary, Indiana, for her question:

Why do they say a cat has nine lives?

The body of a cat is very quick and agile. When she falls, she twists in the air to land on her feet. For her size she is a champion athlete, and with this talent she gets herself out of a lot of tight corners. Sometimes she manages to save herself when people think she doesn't have a chance. In the past superstitious people thought she did this by magic. They thought that she often was killed and came back to life again. This, no doubt, is why they started the rumor that a cat has nine lives.

In the age of science, naturally we know that a cat has only one life to spend. We also know that the old rumor is very cruel. For example, imagine what could happen if a young child believed that a furry little kitten could die and come back to life. And by the way, if you were given one of this year's kittens, take her to the vet's for her shots. Remember, like everyone else, she has only one life to lose    and cat fever is a horrible way to go.