A cat has nine lives, yet care will kill a cat.

Even a creature imagined to survive repeated dangers can be worn down by worry. The contrast gives anxiety a force that ordinary hazards seem not to have.

Here, “care” means troubled concern rather than kindness or responsible attention. The proverb warns that continual fretting can harm someone who might otherwise cope well with difficulty.

Use it to caution someone against dwelling anxiously on a problem, especially when their worry seems more damaging than the problem itself. Its pointed contrast can sound dismissive if the person faces a serious danger or needs practical help.