Why & how do falling cats land on their four legs, always?

Question

You would have noticed that cats always fall on their 4 legs only. They never fall on their back?

Answer 1

Cats usually land on their feet beceause they 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 - it's a reflex action. 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.

Answer 2

this is bcoz cats have a very flexible skeletal system n when they fall or jump from a hieght they use their tail as a balancing organ n guide their body to land on their legs upright n not the back ......so its simply bcoz of a very flexible sketetal system ...the bones in the legs n feet bend n bear the weight of the whole body while landing.

Answer 3

They have an instinctive procedure for twisting in mid-air to always land on the feet, and this saves their life often. Hence, the "nine-lives" myth. Sometimes they die anyway, but I have
heard stories of enormous falls that were survived.

Answer 4

First of all they dont always fall on their legs. Secondly its not only cats but most animals will tend to turn themselves as a matter of reflex action.

Answer 5

I don't know if this is true, but I was told that they have skin that stretches between their body and their legs that allows them to control the air flow a bit - but they only land that way up to a certain height, then they are just as toast as us.

Answer 6

Their internal gyroscope is pretty amazing, but it very much depends on the length of the fall. My furballs land on their backs and heads fairly often when they sleep on the TV or couch and roll off onto the floor.

Answer 7

Liquid in the inner are acts as blance system, long with a very flexible skeletal frame and the tail as counter balance allows them to right themselves, front feet first, right side up. It's very interesting to see in slow motion...

Answer 8

actually they do fall on their back but their gravititational pole is centered toward their belly and they have strong legs that can sustain them and so they are able to land on their foursand not on their backs because well thats pretty rare...(Does that make any sense????)

Answer 9

It must be that their internal parachute never fails them.
Teri
P.S. Knowing how curious they were, God gave them the greatest sense of balance or none of them would have made it past the first year of life.

Answer 10

they're cool like that.

thus the term: cool cats