urceatim plovebat (vulg. for pluebat)
sanguinem pluisse senatui nuntiatum est, Cic.
Praeter haec inferiore caelo relatum inmonumenta est lacte et sanguine
pluisse M'. Acilio C. Porcio cos.
It rained pitchers, milk, blood, stones; but not cats and dogs.
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Why “cats and dogs”?
Again, we don’t know for certain. Etymologists—people who study the
origins of words—have suggested a variety of mythological and literal
explanations for why people say “it’s raining cats and dogs” to describe
a heavy downpour. Here are some of the popular theories:
Odin, the Norse god of storms, was often pictured with dogs and
wolves, which were symbols of wind. Witches, who supposedly rode their
brooms during storms, were often pictured with black cats, which became
signs of heavy rain for sailors. Therefore, “raining cats and dogs” may
refer to a storm with wind (dogs) and heavy rain (cats).
“Cats and dogs” may come from the Greek expression cata doxa, which
means “contrary to experience or belief.” If it is raining cats and
dogs, it is raining unusually or unbelievably hard.
“Cats and dogs” may be a perversion of the now obsolete word
catadupe. In old English, catadupe meant a cataract or waterfall. A
version of catadupe existed in many old languages.In Latin, for example,
catadupa was borrowed from the classical Greek κατάδουποι, which
referred to the cataracts of the Nile River. So, to say it’s raining
“cats and dogs” might be to say it’s raining waterfalls.
A false theory stated that cats and dogs used to cuddle into thatch
roofs during storms and then be washed out during heavy rains. However,
a properly maintained thatch roof is naturally water resistant and
slanted to allow water to run off. In order to slip off the roof, the
animals would have to be lying on the outside—an unlikely place for an
animal to seek shelter during a storm.
https://tinyurl.com/2apo22h2
Ed