Q: Why are cats good at video games?
A: Because they have nine lives!

Explanation: Many video games let you have another chance to keep going if you make a really bad mistake, maybe even getting your character killed.  (Other games do not give you another life in the same game, and you have to start over.)  I am reminded of the classic video game Pac-Man where you would get three lives.  It also reminds me of the pre-video game era when people played pinball, and you had to score the maximum number of points with a limited number of balls.

Cats are known as curious explorers who get themselves into difficult situations.  Because of their instincts, including the ability to land on their feet (usually), cats survive (usually).  Therefore, in English speaking countries cats are said to have nine lives.  (Here is an interesting article about the nine lives of cats.)

This joke is funny because it combines the the lives you get while playing video games with the saying, “cats have nine lives.”

Here is a cat who survived-