Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => That CAN'T be true! => Topic started by: Simulated on 20/10/2007 12:59:00

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Simulated on 20/10/2007 12:59:00

This is a purdy big myth around here cuz of all the stupid annoying barn cats we have.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: another_someone on 20/10/2007 13:12:48

Nothing is absolute - but my understanding is that cats are quite good at landing on their feet, if they fall from sufficient height to give them time to turn around in the air before landing (not that I have had much to do with cats, but this is what I have been told by people who do own cats).

Ofcourse, since cats use their fur as a parachute, this probably does not work for hairless breeds (not sure what it does with some of the very hairy breeds).

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Simulated on 20/10/2007 13:50:40

Ah..That makes sence..Lots of sence..Thank ya George!

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: i am bored on 20/10/2007 14:22:43

drop one off the top of a building see if it lands on its feet

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: another_someone on 20/10/2007 14:31:13

Quote from: Nic_525 on 20/10/2007 14:22:43

drop one off the top of a building see if it lands on its feet

As I said above - cats tend to use their mass of fur to trap a lot of air, as a parachute does - so they have a fairly low terminal velocity - I believe they can fall from quite a substantial height and survive.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Andrew K Fletcher on 20/10/2007 17:27:45

I had a cat land on my feet once.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Simulated on 20/10/2007 17:44:08

Haha. Same here. I would go drop a cat off the roof, but mom wouldn't let me.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Bored chemist on 20/10/2007 18:20:12

Ask Simon Bond.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Simulated on 20/10/2007 18:44:17

Who's he?

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Carolyn on 21/10/2007 05:00:48

Quote from: Simulated on 20/10/2007 17:44:08

Haha. Same here. I would go drop a cat off the roof, but mom wouldn't let me.

Neither would Nics.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Karen W. on 21/10/2007 06:07:09

This is an old topic already addressed by Neil.. I think.. LOL And NO they don't always land on there feet! I had a cat who constantly fell off a ladder and would land on her hip and back end!

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 21/10/2007 15:10:02

Apparently cats don't have shoulder blades so they can twist their spine almost right round.

My question has always been, what would happen if you glued 2 cats back to back and dropped them from a window?

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Simulated on 21/10/2007 18:28:18

haha i think they would land on their sides..and thanks karen!~

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Karen W. on 21/10/2007 18:43:33

Your welcome..

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Bored chemist on 21/10/2007 22:01:04

Simon Bond is an author and cartoonist.
http://www.methuen.co.uk/titles.php/itemcode/674

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Simulated on 22/10/2007 21:44:50

Ah I see now Thanks Bored Chemist

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: i am bored on 23/10/2007 02:45:44

if only i could do that to the dogs, im a cat person but its fun "introducing" cats to gravity

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: SquarishTriangle on 16/11/2007 11:01:13

Quote from: DoctorBeaver on 21/10/2007 15:10:02

Apparently cats don't have shoulder blades so they can twist their spine almost right round.

Cats have shoulder blades!!! Anyway, here's my oh so brief answer:


The process that enables a cat to rotate its body during a fall and land on its feet is known as the “air righting reflex” and almost always occurs in all normal cats.

There are two sensory inputs that can initiate the air righting reflex in a falling cat (and some other mammals). The first of these is the vestibular apparatus present in each inner ear, which normally maintains balance and posture. The second is the ocular system, which receives visual information and sends it to the brain. Either of these sensory systems can alone initiate the reflex during a fall and consequently ensure that the cat turns in midair such that it lands the right way up when it reaches the ground. However, the vestibular system has been shown to be the primary control for this reflex.

The structure of the vestibular apparatus enables it to detect both angular and linear acceleration of the head. If a change is detected, such as the head being tilted as the cat is losing balance, sensory cells in the semicircular canals of the vestibular apparatus become stimulated (polarised or depolarised, depending on the direction of change), firing off nerve cells towards the brain stem. The nerve impulse (signal) then travels down the spinal cord to activate contraction in the muscles that will be appropriate for correcting the posture.

If the vestibular systems in both ears are destroyed in an otherwise normal cat, the reflex still occurs. Likewise, if the cat is blindfolded (or blind from birth) the rotation occurs as normal. However if the cat has both inner ears destroyed and is blindfolded, the rotation ceases to occur. This leads to the view that both systems are able to control the same reflex. Cats with only one inner ear destroyed always turn to the side of the destroyed ear, even if it means going through more than 180 degrees (normally the cat would turn to the side that is already closest to upright).

It has been shown that a distance of only 1 foot (the study was in imperial) is required for the normal cat to land on its feet, but some can do it in as little as 6 inches. Generally the higher the cat falls from, the more time it has to correct its posture and ensure a footed landing. However once you get above a certain height, other non-posture related problems may come into play…such as the squish factor.

References:
Muller HR, Weed LH (1916). Notes on the falling reflex of cats. The American Journal of Physiology. 40(3): 373-379.
Cremieux J, Veraat C, Wanet MC (1984). Development of the air-righting reflex in cats visually deprived since birth. Experimental Brain Research. 54: 564-566.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Alandriel on 16/11/2007 15:00:50

Squarish Triangle saves the day

*again* !  [;D] [;D]

Quote

The process that enables a cat to rotate its body during a fall and land on its feet is known as the “air righting reflex” and almost always occurs in all normal cats.

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geocities.com%2FPetsburgh%2F4114%2Fjbright.gif&hash=77d40785c010bfada67523a1e84cb862)

I guess those barn cats were deaf and blind!

(mind you I once had a cat with a similiar inability to fall on its paws. Poor thing repeatedly ended up with a bloody nose....)

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: SquarishTriangle on 16/11/2007 15:21:29

Aww that's terrible. Did this same cat fall over often even on the ground, or off furniture?

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: JimBob on 16/11/2007 21:57:12

Mine did after a bout with ethaline glycol. Wasn't ever "right" after that. Died when she was 16, too. The male I got a few months after I got her lived to be 20 years old.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Karen W. on 17/11/2007 01:52:38

Yep my old girl was about 19 when she passed and she was the sweetest kitty! drooled when you pet her I always had kleenex in hand.. LOL!

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: SquarishTriangle on 18/11/2007 03:27:13

What was the ethylene glycol from?

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Alandriel on 19/11/2007 21:11:38

Quote from: SquarishTriangle on 16/11/2007 15:21:29

Aww that's terrible. Did this same cat fall over often even on the ground, or off furniture?

Mine I think was really just at the very end of the queue when the brains got handed out.

I got him as a tiny kitten and at first he seemed all normal, a very playful if somewhat clumsy kitten. Later.... that's a different story ........poor thing

He was sooooo silly. But also really cuddly and lovely.

He would walk along a ledge and just keep on walking when the ledge was finished
He would bump into things when in one of his 'absent minded' moments
he would sit up and just stare into space often for minutes at a time
he would stop in mid paw lick and just stop, then continue again 20 secs or so later

I think he was 'out of body' a good portion of the time  [;D]

That's him - Dubdub (little bear) - sadly, when he fell in love with a fennec fox the lady was either already taken or her big brother got the better of rascal dubdub

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi231.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee205%2Falandriel00%2Fstuff%2FDUBDUB.jpg&hash=8554b2a026aa11b33287c132bba440f5)

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Simulated on 19/11/2007 21:38:51

Intersting stories

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: SquarishTriangle on 20/11/2007 00:05:50

Quote

He would walk along a ledge and just keep on walking when the ledge was finished
He would bump into things when in one of his 'absent minded' moments
he would sit up and just stare into space often for minutes at a time

...that sounds an aweful lot like you're describing me!...except for the "he" part.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: opus on 20/11/2007 23:34:34

My cat which looks like a lab rat- white with pink ears- broke its leg at 5 months old and I paid £1500 to get it repaired by an orthopaedic veterinary surgeon. It is now bionic. And yes, I am mad.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: kdlynn on 21/11/2007 01:51:43

i had a white cat with pink ears. she was adorable. why are you mad?

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: opus on 21/11/2007 19:20:22

To spend all that on a tiny rat-like moggy of course!

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Alandriel on 21/11/2007 21:50:45

Quote from: SquarishTriangle

that sounds an aweful lot like you're describing me!...except for the "he" part.

You mean ..............(since you did not copy over the last symtpom) you don't lick your paws then?

 [;D]


Hmmmm - you're certainly not suffering from 'end of the line when brains got handed out' like my cat; *that* much I can tell you for certain.


A set of glasses might help perhaps??

 [;D]

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.petiepet.com%2Fkitty-glasses.jpg&hash=1e936fa6b8242a396ea8a899b8861c08)

I often wondered about that with dubdub (the cat).
How would one know if a cat needed glasses and would there be such a thing?

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: iko on 22/11/2007 15:03:03

Quote from: Alandriel on 21/11/2007 21:50:45

Quote from: SquarishTriangle

that sounds an aweful lot like you're describing me!...except for the "he" part.

You mean ..............(since you did not copy over the last symtpom) you don't lick your paws then?

 [;D]

Hmmmm - you're certainly not suffering from 'end of the line when brains got handed out' like my cat; *that* much I can tell you for certain.

A set of glasses might help perhaps??

 [;D]

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.petiepet.com%2Fkitty-glasses.jpg&hash=1e936fa6b8242a396ea8a899b8861c08)

I often wondered about that with dubdub (the cat).
How would one know if a cat needed glasses and would there be such a thing?

Hi Alandriel,

Did you notice that eyes and pupils in that picture
don't look cattish at all?

ikod   [???]

Quote from: iko on 23/06/2007 17:02:00

Float toxotopic float!  [;)]

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fprometheus.med.utah.edu%2F%7Ebwjones%2FC1276349108%2FE20070102093914%2FMedia%2FCrazy%2520cat.jpg&hash=c0136eb5b6991464403a31717d81b92c)
http://prometheus.med.utah.edu/~bwjones/C1276349108/E20070102093914/Media/Crazy%20cat.jpg

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dkimages.com%2Fdiscover%2Fpreviews%2F864%2F45031991.JPG&hash=3422599cf515c61c5216235276bb3781)  (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.earthlife.net%2Fmammals%2Fimages%2Fanatomy%2Fpupils.gif&hash=bbdf9fcf58f4df22c2339de61c12babf)

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/864/45031991.JPG
http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/images/anatomy/pupils.gif

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Karen W. on 22/11/2007 15:39:21

Nice call Iko! LOL!

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: SquarishTriangle on 23/11/2007 07:15:48

Quote from: Alandriel on 21/11/2007 21:50:45

Hmmmm - you're certainly not suffering from 'end of the line when brains got handed out' like my cat; *that* much I can tell you for certain.

Aww...thanks! (I took an extra one while I was there...kidding.)
I do manage to avoid the temptation of licking my paws.

Title: Do cats always land on their feet?
Post by: Alandriel on 26/11/2007 14:05:33

LOL - Iko, you ARE very observant.

You know how long it took me to find a piccie just like that??

I meant it as a 'double-entendre' since I addressed the problem of glasses both for cats and squarish triangle.
But thanks for pointing it out anyways; I'm sure not many would have noticed otherwise.
 [;D]

Quote from: Squarish Triangle

I do manage to avoid the temptation of licking my paws.

Not only clever but also steadfast of mind.
 [;D]



I'd still like to know about glasses for cats though if anyone can oblige .
Possible? Not possible? Contact lenses perhaps? Tell me to shut up and get lost maybe....