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Mittens (2005-01-13)
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m_‮f discuss.online m_f@discuss.online
Joined: 2024-12-11
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đź”—

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acockworkorange mander.xyz acockworkorange@mander.xyz
Joined: 2023-06-09
#2 · Quote Reply

Don't worry, cats always land on their feet.

4
felbane lemmy.world felbane@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-11-23
#3 · Quote Reply

Don't worry, cats always land on their feet.

If mittens lands on one of those pointed domes it won't matter.

1
acockworkorange mander.xyz acockworkorange@mander.xyz
Joined: 2023-06-09
#4 · Quote Reply

If mittens lands on one of those pointed domes it won't matter.

I'd say that unless it lands on something particularly soft, it won't matter.

1
DarkCloud lemmy.world DarkCloud@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-05-19
#5 · Quote Reply

I'd say that unless it lands on something particularly soft, it won't matter.

As long as it's higher than seven stories:

High-rise syndrome refers to the common set of injuries that cats get from falling from the second story of a building or higher. These injuries include chest trauma, shock, head and facial injuries, and limb fractures.

The term “high-rise syndrome” was coined by veterinarians in New York City in the 1980s. They noticed an interesting phenomenon—that cats seemed to survive very high falls. These vets noted the same triad of injuries in many of these cats. Overall, these patients had a great survival rate, even with some cats falling as much as 32 stories.

Cats have a special ability that allows them to orient themselves when falling so that they land feet-first. They can rotate and twist their bodies midair to right themselves quickly, then arch their back, like a parachutist, to increase their drag and slow their fall. This is called the “righting reflex.”

Cats that fall from greater than seven stories suffer fewer injuries than those that fall shorter distances. Researchers believe this is because the average-sized cat reaches terminal velocity—meaning they stop speeding up—after seven stories (about 70 feet). Cats can relax their body, so they are less tense when they hit the ground, resulting in less injury.

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