Do cats always land on their feet?

Warning: do not throw your cat up in the air to see if he lands on his feet! Cats are very agile creatures, and they will jump from a counter or tree branch to catch a toy or a bird. While many cats appear to graciously land on their feet, there are some cats that get severely injured from what we veterinarians term “high-rise syndrome.”

Feline high-rise syndrome describes those curious cats that lean and fall out of your apartment window from at least two stories high. Tigger may have just wandered near the window to check out the bugs through the screen, and before you know it curiosity abounds him and he accidentally falls through. Not surprising, the majority of cats that succumb to high-rise syndrome are young (averaging two to three years of age), dumb, and male (76 percent). I guess young, male cats are a bit more reckless and clueless (just like their two-legged counterparts). What veterinarians have found is that the average fall is typically four stories high, and thankfully, the majority of cats (more than 95 percent)survive. Unfortunately, more than a third sustain leg fractures or chest trauma (such as fractured ribs, lung bruises, air leakage from their lungs).6 Understandably, the higher the fall (i.e., more than six or seven stories), the more severe the injuries. (Doesn’t take a veterinarian to have to tell you that, huh?) Being that your average fracture repair and ER visit will cost you between $2,000 and $3,500, help prevent this potentially fatal error by making sure your high-rise windows are all tightly fastened and kid- or cat-proof.

That said, cats appear to “naturally” land on their feet for several reasons. First, cats reach terminal velocity (which is when the downward force of gravity equals the upward force of drag, resulting in a constant speed) at a much faster rate than your average human skydiver. In fact, veterinarians estimate that cats reach terminal velocity at approximately five stories. Cats also have a strong “righting” reflex, which means they can twist and turn themselves into the “right” position until they are correct side up. Because cats are flexible and agile, they have the ability to fan themselves out (by extending their arms and legs) to increase their surface area to minimize the fall. But as you noticed from the studies above, not all cats land on their feet. Avoid the problem and help preserve the other eight lives of your cat: close your window!



Photo from Philipp Klinger from Flicker