High–rise syndrome

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Cats have a natural attraction to high places.
Cats have a natural attraction to high places.

High–rise syndrome is the name given to the phenomenon of cats falling higher than two stories (24-30 feet). This is generally from high–rise buildings, or skyscrapers, and is also used to refer to the injuries sustained by a cat falling from high up.

Contents

[edit] Injuries sustained by cats falling

Studies done on cats that have fallen from 2 to 32 stories show that the overall survival rate is 90 percent.[1] Strangely, cats who fall from less than 6 stories have greater injuries than cats who fall from higher than 6 stories.[2] This is because cats reach terminal velocity after righting themselves (see below) at about 5 stories, and after this point they relax, leading to less severe injuries in cats who have fallen over 6 stories.[3] Another possible explanation for this phenomenon is the fact that cats who die in falls are less likely to be brought to a veterinarian than injured cats, and thus many of the cats killed in falls from higher buildings are not reported in studies of the subject.[4]

[edit] Cats right themselves when falling from height

During a fall from a high place, a cat can reflexively twist its body and right itself using its acute sense of balance and flexibility.[5] This is known as the cat's "righting reflex". It always rights itself in the same way, provided it has the time to do so, during a fall. The height required for this to occur in most cats (safely) is around 3 feet (90 cm). To achieve this, cats probably relax their ventral muscles, "flattening" their bodies to some extent and creating more resistance to air. Cats without a tail also have this ability, since a cat mostly moves its hind legs and relies on conservation of angular momentum to set up for landing, and the tail is in fact little used for this feat.[6]

[edit] Why cats jump out of windows

Most likely, the cat is jumping in order to pursue a moving object, which it assumes is prey. Or a cat could see the window as "a doorway to freedom". Cats also have a natural fondness for heights. Or, the cat may be attempting suicide (if indeed a cat is even capable of deliberate self destruction.)

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Straight Dope: Do cats always land unharmed on their feet, no matter how far they fall?. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  2. ^ Highrise Syndrome in Cats
  3. ^ Falling Cats
  4. ^ The Straight Dope: Do cats always land unharmed on their feet, no matter how far they fall?
  5. ^ Falling Cats. Retrieved on 2005-10-24.
  6. ^ Huy D. Nguyen. How does a Cat always land on its feet?. Georgia Tech University, School of Medical Engineering. Retrieved on 2007-05-15.

[edit] External links

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