2007-01-18 12:36:15 · 18 answers · asked by Cotyus P 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
They don't!!!!!! Many believe this and this is not true! My cats both have fallen before and on their sides! Many cats every year get serious injuries that result in death because people believe they will always land on their feet.
2007-01-18 12:51:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Based on info from the eyes and inner ears, the head will rotate, the spine will twist and then the hindquarters follow. Thus, a cat will turn iin midair and right itself to land on its feet, especially in a fall in which a cat has time to turn. So a short fall will injure a cat more than a longer fall.
This has been documented scientifically.
here's a cool link!
2007-01-18 20:47:15 · answer #2 · answered by CYP450 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The short answer is, they don't. Sure, they're the champs when it comes to landing safely----most of the time. But keep in mind that even if they land upright, they can sustain severe injuries from the impact.
Their amazing acrobatic skill is due to their natural " righting" reflex. This mechanism is very complicated and is governed by a complex organ in the inner ear that determines a specifif sequence of events. Simplified, this organ sends information to the brain about the position of the cat's head in relation to the ground. In fractions of seconds, the brain commands the head to change position in order to protect it.
2007-01-19 07:18:16 · answer #3 · answered by Turtle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't always. I have a cat that I have seen fall from a short distance, like from the kitchen table to the floor and not land on her feet.
2007-01-18 20:40:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
They don't always. Most of the time they do because they have incredible balance but it is complete fiction that cats always land on their feet.
2007-01-18 21:01:20 · answer #5 · answered by MasLoozinIt76 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A cat needs to fall a certain distance before it can right itself, so it doesn't always land on its feet. It can twist it's body if it has enough time/distance. I found this link that attempts to explain it. The 'stick-cat' drawings are quite funny, actually:
http://helix.gatech.edu/Classes/ME3760/1998Q3/Projects/Nguyen/
2007-01-18 21:53:34 · answer #6 · answered by ☺Catriona♥S☺ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It takes a normal cat about a two and a half feet of free-fall to orient himself to feet-down, and it wasn't until the advent of high-speed cameras that the acrobatics were fully understood. Much like an ice skater controls her rate of spin by pulling in or extending her arms, the cat first tucks in his front legs and splays out his rear legs, allowing him to quickly situate his forequarters with the feet down. He then reverses the procedure, extending his front legs and tucking in the rear legs, allowing the hindquarters to rapidly twist into position while the forequarters turn only slightly. Rear legs re-extend when in place, and he's fully deployed.
2007-01-18 20:47:05 · answer #7 · answered by jaske 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Your question is WRONG, they do NOT always land on their feet. If you believe that then I have some ocean front property in the desert that I can sell you for cheap.
2007-01-18 21:04:11 · answer #8 · answered by kathyk214 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They don't. That is an old wives tail. Cats can right themselves quickly but only from certain short heights. That's the reason so many cats who fall off balconeys end up dead or crippled.
2007-01-18 22:33:57 · answer #9 · answered by felix 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's just in their nature & they are able to land on their feet because of their flexibility.
2007-01-19 01:08:39 · answer #10 · answered by lilangel_purple@yahoo.com 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋