why do cats land on their feet 80-95% of the time?

Answer 1

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.

Musculoskeletal System

The uniqueness of the cat's skeleton is another reason they can right themselves. A cat does not have a collarbone and the bones in his backbone have more mobility than in many other animals. So cats have free movement of their front legs and they can bend and rotate their bodies like a pretzel.

Terminal Velocity

In a study from the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, two veterinarians examined 132 cases of cats that had fallen out of high-rise windows. On average, the cats fell 5.5 stories, but 90 percent survived, although many suffered severe injuries. The number of broken bones and injuries increased with the number of stories the cat had fallen – up to seven stories. Above seven stories, however, the number of injuries declined. In other words, the farther the cat fell, the better were his chances of escaping injury.

The reason for this may be that after falling five stories or so, cats reach a terminal velocity. The velocity or speed of a falling body does not increase forever because the rate of increase in speed is interrupted by air resistance. A skydiver reaches a terminal velocity of around 130 to 140 mph after about 30 seconds of free-falling. Cats reach terminal velocity much sooner at a speed of 60 mph.

It's instinctive for both humans and animals to tense their muscles when free-falling, which makes them more susceptible to injury. When cats land before reaching top speed, they are rigid and flexed and prepared for the landing. This results in most of the force impacting the parts of the body that hit initially. However, after reaching terminal velocity, cats relax their muscles and spread themselves out like flying squirrels. This allows the impact of the fall to be spread across a larger surface area.

Answer 2

Because as they're falling down, they twist their spine and body in the air so that their feet are facing the ground before they land.....But however, if the distance that the cat is falling is a short distance, it should land on its feet. but if its falling from more than 2 floors, it could get injured easily because its legs and feet cant absorb the shock.

Answer 3

Aerodynamics my friend. Their bodies are built that way. I imagine they probably evolved from some tree cat like leopards, whose natural selection weeded out those that couldn't land on their feet (they probably died upon impact), but those that could were selected for, and then evolved millions of years later into domesticated house cats.

Just a theory, Im probably wrong. But it is aerodynamics.

Answer 4

My guess is because they are fast enough and nimble enough to beat gravity. People would land on their feet most of the time also, but most of us are not quicker than gravity so we don't make it around in time and end up in a heap on the ground.

Answer 5

i heard that their sense of balance is in their ears and if you cover their ears and drop them they wont land on their feet.. sounds mean

but they twist their bodies like crazy!

like their back legs like rotate to turn the momentum of their body as they are falling.

my cats have fallen off the baclony like 10 times total. they always spin and turn to land on their feet.
its scary to watch but afterwards, you notice how cool it was that they know when to turn and how and stuff..

Answer 6

Livescience.com just had an article on that very subject. they do great from about 1.5 to 2 feet, but lower than than that they splat like everything else does,LOL. great site, by the way. have fun.

Answer 7

Because the other 5-20% of the time, they are just thinking "cool..." on the way down.

Answer 8

good muscles and timing, they twirl their bodies like a barrel then aim their feet and brace themselves when landing. just a very graceful animal quality.

Answer 9

because they are able to twist and turn the right ways to land right. Besdes who wants to land on their back, or face?!?!

Answer 10

This article says it all! Follow the link! =)