Question: Why do cats always land on there feet?

Sive Finlay answered on 13 Nov 2013:

Hi Niamh,

Good question! It’s called the cat righting reflex and kittens develop it when they’re just a few weeks old.
It’s all to do with flexibility and balance. Cats have very flexible back bones which have more vertebrae than we do. Think of the way cats run and how their backs curve up and down much more than a dog’s back. They also have a free-floating clavicle (collar bone) which further increases their freedom of movement. Cats also have a very good sense of balance which comes from the fine-tuning of the canals in their inner ears and excellent eyesight.
So, when a cat either jumps or falls they either use their vision or their inner-ear balance system to figure out which way is up. They then twist the front half of their body around to be facing the right way and, because of their flexible anatomy, their back legs follow around easily into place and they’re ready to land on their feet. They manage to have a relatively soft landing because they have small bodies, light bone structure and thick fur – all of which help to ease the impact of the fall and the landing.
Sometimes the reflex doesn’t work quick enough so cats don’t always land on their feet but I’ve never seen one that didn’t!
Sive