• Question: Why do cats always land on their feet?

    Asked by leigha1234 to Angela, Karen, Shane on 20 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Shane Mc Guinness

      Shane Mc Guinness answered on 20 Nov 2013:

      Great question Leigha.
      It’s all to do with how bendy and fast cats are. This allows them to turn in mid air and land on their feet. And once they fall from high enough so they can turn they’ll land on their feet! Also ,they’ve got an amazing sense of balance so immediately know when they’re upside-down!
      Check out this video. It’s hilarious!:)

    • Photo: Angela Stevenson

      Angela Stevenson answered on 20 Nov 2013:

      Great again Leigha 🙂 I don’t have much to add since Shane did such a great job at explaining this fact. But here’s something interesting about cats and falling on all fours: the height of a cat’s fall determines how well, or how poorly, his legs can absorb the shock of their landing. Veterinarians who treat the broken legs and other injuries of cats that survived falls from high-rise apartments noticed that the cats who fell from greater heights (for example, greater than five story buildings), often suffered less severe injuries than those falling from just a few floors! That’s because a longer drop give the cats’ bodies more time to right themselves. Hope that helps!

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