[Simulated (OP)]

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

[another_someone]

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).

[Simulated (OP)]

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

[i am bored]

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

[another_someone]

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.

[Andrew K Fletcher]

I had a cat land on my feet once.

[Simulated (OP)]

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

[Bored chemist]

Ask Simon Bond.

[Simulated (OP)]

Who's he?

[Carolyn]

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

Neither would Nics.

[Karen W.]

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!

[DoctorBeaver]

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?

[Simulated (OP)]

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

[Karen W.]

Your welcome..

[Bored chemist]

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

[Simulated (OP)]

Ah I see now Thanks Bored Chemist

[i am bored]

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

[SquarishTriangle]

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.

[Alandriel]

Squarish Triangle saves the day

*again* !  [] []

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.

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....)

[SquarishTriangle]

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