Do cats always land on there feet when they fall?

Question

do they i really want to know i alwasy wondered that

Answer 1

no that isnt true like cats have 9 lives both of those are impossible

Answer 2

I would have to say no, my kitten decided to relieve herself all over my favorite clubbing shirt (the one that can only be dry cleaned and was my one monetary splurge for the last 5 years). And let me tell you, I launched her across the apartment. And she did a pretty sweet somersault upon landing. There were no feet involved. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death, but come on! The litter box was like 10 feet away in the next room. She was old enough to know better. I think she was just being spiteful, I'm convinced the whole thing was plotted the night before and then executed to perfection! We have reunited since then although there was a lengthy period in which we gave each other the silent treatment.

Answer 3

Cats will normally land on their feet unless they lose their footing. Cats have a very flexible skeletal system, which lets them move in almost any way neccessary to land on their feet. If a cat knows that it will be hitting the ground, chances are that it will land on its feet. However if a cat is startled and the event occurs just too fast for the animal, it is very easy for them to lose their sense of balance and fall. It occurs more often in kittens than older cats, but cats can lose their balance too. It all depends on the cat and the situation that the cat has been placed in. If you try to experiment by dropping a cat, it will almost always land on its feet. Cats are very smart and they do know that they will be hitting the ground. The truth is that they prepare themselves the moment you pick them up.

Answer 4

They don't always, so don't try and test this. The reason they usually do is their tails. It helps them whip around in time to face the right way. (Thats my not very scientific answer) If a cat doesn;'t have enough time to postion itself right, it won't land on its feet, and if its too high, though he may be facing the right way, when his feet hit the groun, the impact would be too hard, in reality, he would shatter his feet, and all his other bones, and land in a not nice way. I re read this and sound like I'm ten, but I am not too concerned :)

Answer 5

Contrary to popular belief, falling cats do not always land on their feet. In fact, every day cats sustain serious injuries from falling out of open windows, off balconies, and from rooftops. Cats do not fear heights and will often leap after a bird or a butterfly only to find themselves falling through the air. The trauma sustained from a fall of over two stories (24 to 30 feet) is known as high-rise syndrome.
If a cat falls a short distance, he can usually right himself and land on his feet. If he falls more than one or two floors, however, he may sustain injury. Although he can right himself, his legs and feet cannot absorb the shock.
Cats have exceptional coordination and balance and a flexible musculoskeletal system. They are normally able to orient their bodies in space in such a way as to land on all four limbs. This is what happens when a cat falls:
The cat determines which way is up and rotates the head until it is right side up.
He brings the front legs up close to the face, ready to protect it from impact.
He twists the upper part of the spine to bring the front half of his body around in line with the head.
He bends his hind legs so that all four limbs are ready for touchdown and, as this happens, he twists the rear half of his body to catch up with the front.
However, whether or not a cat lands on his feet depends on several factors, including the distance he falls and the surface on which he falls.
Righting Reflex
Cats have the ability to right themselves in midair thanks to the vestibular apparatus. This is a tiny fluid-filled organ housed deep in their inner ear that is responsible for their remarkable balance. It is composed of tiny chambers and canals lined with millions of sensitive hairs and filled with fluid and minute floating crystals. When cats move, the fluid shifts, giving readings on the body’s position – similar to the instrument in an airplane called the “artificial horizon” that tells the pilot the position of the plane’s wings in relation to the horizon.
When a cat falls, the vestibular apparatus becomes active and helps the cat register which way is up. This allows the cat to right himself in midair by adjusting the orientation of the body. The righting reflex appears in a kitten at three to four weeks and is perfected by seven weeks.

Answer 6

Not always. They need about 3 feet in which to turn and if they fall from a distance less than that, they land whichever way they fell.

Answer 7

They do most of the time because they have awesome arial agility. So yeah.. like 99% of the time they land on thier feet if they have at least like 4 feet of working room. And belive me.. I've tried lots of time to prove otherwise and failed.

Answer 8

no but because of there tails 85 to 90 percent of the time they do if you drop them from a great distance then the will land on their paws but if you drop them from a small distance then they have less of a chance same goes for jumping,accidentally falling,ect.

Answer 9

As long as they're alive, yes. There are some uncoordinated cats that fail time to time, but even those have a high success rate.

Answer 10

No, my cat fell from the second floor of my parents house and landed on her side.

Answer 11

Try it out yourself. Take 10 cats, drop them from your roof, and record your findings. Think of it as a science experiment.