Where did the expresion "raining cats & dogs" come from ?

go to this site. it gives a good explanation

Here's a paraphrase of the first one I ever heard:

"Used to when it rained really hard, enough to cause flooding, stray animals would drown in the streets. When it stopped and people came out of their houses, some of them would actually think that those dead animals fell from the sky in the same way that frogs sometimes fall from the sky."

There are other speculations as well mostly mythology related.

It may be a misinterpretation of the Latin phrase "cata doxas" meaning "contrary to experience" or "different than usual."

I.E., whereas people usually experienced light rain, when it was particularly heavy, it was 'contrary to experience'.

English phrases have many roots in other languages - they've just become corrupted over time.

E.G. 'Loo' is supposedly from 'Gardez-L'Eau!' (garday low), French for beware of the water.

The 15th century, animals used to sleep in the loft of houses, when it rained they fell cause it got slippery, into the houses. Now they say, it's raining cats and Dogs.

In 'Medieval' England, the cats & dogs would sleep in the 'thatched roofs.' When it rained heavily, they would fall out.

back in the middle ages most ppl had straw roofs and sometimes when it rained they would put their pets (cats and dogs) on the roof so they wouldnt run away well sometimes when the straw got so wet theat it gave way the pets would fall thru and thus it was raining cats and dogs!

Beacher Girl is absolutely correct. So whoever gave her a 'thumbs down' is an idiot.

Metaphor, but I've just stepped in a poodle!

Idiotsville

omg did it really happen back in the days wow maybe that's where we got all the spices of cats and dogs... I wonder

I don't know, but I prefer "it's raining men". Halleluja!