Having watched this video of a cat who jumps from a burning building and survives, there’s no doubt about the fact that these feisty creatures definitely have nine lives.
Why Can Cats Jump From Such Tall Heights and Not Get
Injured?
Cats possess several anatomical adaptations that allow them to survive falls from high places.
Their highly flexible spine, cushioned and agile limbs, and a unique righting reflex make sure that they twist their bodies in mid-air to land on their feet. This “righting reflex” already begins to appear at 3 weeks old and is perfected by 7 weeks.
Beyond that, they instinctually stretch out their four legs so that their body becomes sort of like a parachute and slows their speed down.
What Is the Highest a Cat Can Fall Without Dying?
Of course, this is a hard thing to measure – we don’t want to go around throwing these cute furballs from tall buildings. The little research that has been done though, suggests that a cat should be able to survive a fall of as much as 200 feet (around 20 stories) with very few injuries.
Cat Jumps From Burning Building: The Video
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