What’s the origin of this phrase?
I don’t know when it began, but it’s a simple observation of fact. When my sister was a little girl, she had a kitten named Patches. One morning it found its way under the hood of the neighbor’s car. When he started the engine, he noticed something wrong. He got out and looked under the hood. The fan had struck the kitty in the head and done her in. When my sister got the news she cried and cried. My mom quoted the proverb: “Curiosity killed the cat.” Ever since then I have been conscious that it is not just a figure of speech.
Yes, cats definitely have a knack for doing stupid stuff by being curious. My cat managed to lock himself in our cupboard, and once worked our linen closet door open, slid behind all the pillows and blankets and got trapped. Had we not been home and heard his quiet little meows, who knows what would have happened.
Jman
To further illustrate the point:
My cat, attracted by anything sparkly and moving, once literally jumped into the coals of a grill that had just been lit (basically a big fire). He had no whiskers after that (but he did live)!
But I heard the satisfaction of knowing brought him back…