Cats can fall from heights with a remarkable survival rate. This is due in part to the terminal velocity of a cat being around 60 mph, so they can absorb the shock of the landing. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Assn. studied 132 cases of cats that had fallen an average of 5.5 stories, the tallest from 32 stories, had a survival rate of around 90%. Of course, these cats had been brought in to veterinarians, and most had suffered injuries. About 1/3 of the 132 cats would have died without medical intervention. Also, any cats that had died on impact, and were thus not taken to the vet, were not included in the study. However, there are also cases of cats falling from heights that were not injured, including one that fell from 46 stories. Above about 7 stories tall, the rate of injury actually decreases. One theory is that cats tend to tense up and arch their backs when they are accelerating. This is fine for falling short distances, like off the counter, but it makes one more prone to injury from a high velocity impact. But once cats reach their terminal velocity, they relax and assume a more spread eagle stance, which reduces their overall velocity, puts them in a more relaxed state, and gives a larger surface area to absorb the impact.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Apr 2014 21:43:50 +0000
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