Flying cats

"Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans,but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.They never become submissive like dogs and horses.As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.Apparently,there is a good deal of truth in this idea.A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
Recently the New York Animal medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months.All these cats had one experience in common:they had fallen off high buildings,yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries,New York is the ideal place for such an study,because there is no shortage of tall buildings.There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall down!One cat,Sabrina,fell 32 storeys,yet only suffered from a broken tooth."Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers,"a dotor said.It seems that the further cats fall,the less they are likely to injure themselves.In a long drop,they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more.At high speeds,falling cats have time to relax.They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels.This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground."
Should i glad for the cats which have "nine" lives?No, i feel pathethic cause they are tested for such experitments.Eight of them died,what a sad thing.

Where did you get that quote from? Link please?

Why would they test cats falling? Throwing cats down the tall buildings just to see if they survive for a "study"?

not link,where i get that counts no important.The point is what you think of those test.Those people want to study whether the cats have "nine" lives.They are so merciless.

When did that happen? I wonder why nobody was arrested for animal cruelty. Throwing cats off the buildings can get someone in jail at some places.

WOW, I did not know they could fall that far and survive!

(04-12-2012 08:35 AM)bw Wrote:  WOW, I did not know they could fall that far and survive!

Do not attempt to try it at home.

The way I read it ( and information I have heard about this) is that THIS IS A SURVEY OF CASES VETERINARIANS HAVE HAD OF CATS THAT HAVE FALLEN FROM HIGH BUILDINGS! THEY DID NOT THROW CATS OFF BUILDINGS TO COLLECT THIS DATA!!! In fact there have been so many cases that vets have a name for it; highrise syndrome. That some of these cats survived from amazing heights is rather amazing, and not exactly normal. I think evolution never intended them to survive much more that falling out of a tree It's the construction of the cats skeleton that makes it possible. Their extreme flexability allows them to twist about and right themselves in mid air so they can prepare to land. Cats falling from high enough have the chance to spread out and gain a little wind resistance to slow themselves slightly. This was discovered after data from various cases was compiled and it was discovered that cats falling from less than a certain height did not gain enough speed to be injured in a fall, and cats falling from above a certain height had time to right themselves and prepare, and most the injuries and deaths occured in heights between these two ranges.

Good to hear it was a survey rather than an experiment.

Yeah, no animal species evolution was intend to prepare to fall from a high building. I wonder what the cat would be thinking when they fall from lets say 50th floor. Wouldn't they panic instead of "preparing" to land on their way down?

I won't try it, my building is not high enough.


Just kidding there! My cats are totally indoor!


What I mean is, I would not do that!

(04-13-2012 12:25 AM)bw Wrote:  I won't try it, my building is not high enough.


Just kidding there! My cats are totally indoor!


What I mean is, I would not do that!

lol. The cats do like to jump though. When I was a little kid, I have chased a cat or two once or twice. They would quickly climb onto a tree, then jump onto the roof, and ... gone! I used to wish I could check out the places they can go but I can't reach. It is hard to imagine they would lose balance and fall.

I think they're usully over confident or distracted. My first cat landed on the ground from a second story porch. I think he jumped after a bird and missed.

(04-13-2012 05:05 PM)Karenskatz Wrote:  I think they're usully over confident or distracted. My first cat landed on the ground from a second story porch. I think he jumped after a bird and missed.

I hope that is not the reason why the fall from places like 50th floor. Not worth it to trying jump after a bird flying cross your window on the 50th floor.

But for cats,they sometimes lose mind to do something crazy in our person's eyes.Well,for our human beings,sometimes we still do something beyond understanding.Like little kids,most of them do not realize the danger of doing crazy and dangerous thing.Such as playing firework without an adult to guide them or chase some interesting flyers regardless of dangerous of lost in the forest or other dangerous places.So maybe Karenskatz's cat is a little cat or a crazy cat lol.

On this weeks episode of Must Love Cats, they took a look at a cat that had fallen out a window of a highrise apartment building. In the process, they gave some of the background of what we have been discusing. The fall they were talking about happened in New York City. The term Highrise Syndrom was coined in 1987 when vets reported 132 cases in a five month period, prompting a study of how and why. This, I believe, is the study that Monica was quoting. The Animal Medical Center studied the information in these cases and compiled statistics to reach the conclusion that cats falling from two to seven stories fared the worst, and this was because of the cat's physiology and ability to right it's self. First the cat needs to twist it's body around until it is upright. This might take as much as one story, but that is not enough height for the cat to build up enough speed to cause serious injury. Two to seven stories was enough for the cat to right it's self and enough time to reach suficient speed to cause injury or death. Above that the cats not only could right themselves, but would stretch out ready for landing and relax a bit giving them more "sail" area to slow them a bit and and more shock aborbancy on landing lessening serious injury. Many of these cats did not escape uninjured, but all but eight survived. And don't forget there are variables, such as how heavy the cat was and what kind of surface they landed on. As for why they fell, that is mostly speculation. Many times the cat was found on the ground, or was missing and searched for. In many cases, there were no window screens, or the screens ripped. Cats brains are wired to notice horizontal movement more that vertical movements, and for those movements to trigger their hunting instincts. They also don't see well at long distances. Some of those cats who got excited by a bird flying by and leaped for it probably didn't know how high up they were. And I have met a few clumsy cats. I've had a few cases where a cat sleeping on the edge of the bed would roll right off. And Tiro, my cat who leaped for a bird and missed the railing? He always did have more looks than brains.

Your consideration and analysis are comprehensive.Your should be glad for your cat,which is normal and lively.Mostly,if you find your cat stay quietly and doesn't like leaping here and there,then you need to pay attention to whether it get sick or not.
And one question for Karenskatz,how you know that cats notice horizontal movement more than vertical movement,any scientific proof?I just wonder why lol.

I don't remember where I read it, but I read a lot, and subscribe to Cat Fancy magazine, as well as Cat Watch, which a newsletter for a major veterinery school and research center. Studies have found that cats either don't focus on or don't notice things that are distant; they creep up close to their prey before pouncing. Also. prey runs along the grund in fast scampering movements, so cats have evolved to focus on that movement. Anything running by close enough to pounce on will trigger the prey drive. Movement too far away to catch before it gets away won't trigger this response. Anything extremely distant has no meaning in the cat's world. The prey (or threat) is too far off to matter. The ground if far away, but that bird zooming past close to the building triggers a reflexive response.

That cat's do not see or pay attention to distant things was proven in vet studies. How this came about because of how they hunt is my own logical deduction.

Wow,that's fantastic but reasonable.You really a cat fan,knowing so many things of cats.

My guess is that the house cats are no longer as smart as their wild ancestors. Since the food and all other needs are provided to them. They no longer need to think much. I just don't see how it would be common for wild cats to fall off a cliff or even a tree for trying to catch a bird fly by.

Actually, cats are the closest to their wild ancestors of all the "domestic" animals. But just like people, not all cats are the same. Some are not as bright, and some can be klutzes. In the wild, not all the kittens survive. In the artificial atmosphere of domestic life, they are more protected from the hazards of the wild. And sometimes they don't learn the lessons they would otherwise.

(04-18-2012 02:42 PM)Karenskatz Wrote:  Actually, cats are the closest to their wild ancestors of all the "domestic" animals. But just like people, not all cats are the same. Some are not as bright, and some can be klutzes. In the wild, not all the kittens survive. In the artificial atmosphere of domestic life, they are more protected from the hazards of the wild. And sometimes they don't learn the lessons they would otherwise.

I thought it's horse. They look identical to their wide counterpart.

Yeah, in the wild the survive rate is actually quite low, especially for the cubs of any animals. Even 70% lions don't make to one year old.

Falling from a highrise building is too late of a lesson to learn though.