Nine Lives?

How do cats survive falls? Cat Diaries investigates the science behind the phenomenon…

We’ve all heard the saying that cats have nine lives. While this is (sadly) untrue, our feline friends do seem to have an uncanny ability to get themselves out of precarious situations – namely those in which they fall from a great height. While it is also untrue that cats always land on their feet, they do possess a unique musculoskeletal system that allows them a fighting chance to do so if they suffer a fall.

If a cat falls a short distance, she can usually right herself and land on her feet. If that distance is greater than one or two floors, however, the cat may sustain injury, because although she can right herself, her legs and feet cannot absorb the shock.

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 aeroplane called the ‘artificial horizon’ that tells the pilot the position of the plane’s wings in relation to the horizon.

When a cat falls, she immediately determines which way is upright and rotates her neck so that her face is looking down. She will then bring her front paws to her face in order to protect it from the impact while twisting the upper spine until it is in line with the head and neck. She then bends her back legs in preparation to absorb the shock of impact and when this happens, she twists the back part of her body around in time to meet the ground, landing surprisingly gracefully on all fours.

If only we humans could manage a clumsy spill with so much class!

Images sourced from pwarmuz and Pixel Packing Mama