Have you ever wondered why cats survive when falling from great heights? Cats can do a full-body flip in mid-air and land on the ground almost every time without injury. Many people describe this animal as having nine lives, partly due to the fact that cats have always managed to survive falling from great heights.
Research has confirmed that cats are animals with an innate survival skill, which is the skill of turning in mid-air to reduce the rate of injury that may occur. Cats can organize their own bodies while in mid-air and cats will slow down during the fall by spreading all 4 legs to resist the force. This makes it so that no matter how high a cat falls from, it will have a terminal speed of 100 kilometers per hour, which is not enough to harm it.
**Terminal velocity, which is the maximum speed that can occur because of air resistance, preventing the falling object from falling any faster (100 kilometers per hour)**
The process of organizing a cat's body when falling from a height
- Focus on the target area
- Turn over one section at a time
- Expand the shock-absorbing area (spread all four legs)
- Extend your legs straight to land on the floor.
Cats' ability to turn mid-air is the result of a special organ called the vestibular apparatus. This organ, located in the inner ear, is responsible for balancing and turning. After a cat successfully turns mid-air and lands on its feet, its four legs act as springs to absorb the impact.
Although turning mid-air seems like a natural skill for cats, not all cats can do it successfully. There are other factors that can cause cats to lose their balance and be unable to turn mid-air. For example, cats who are overweight may be slow to turn back due to physiological problems, or falling from a place with a height that is not high enough to fall, making it impossible for cats to turn back in time.
Meanwhile, veterinarians in Singapore are facing an increasing problem of cats falling from tall buildings, which is more common in populated areas and is known as High-rise syndrome.This phenomenon is when cats fall from a two-story building (about 7-9 meters) or higher. Even if they survive, they can still suffer physical and mental injuries.
Possible injuries include:
- Broken bones are usually of the jawbone and teeth, as the cat's chin often hits the ground when it falls.
- Broken leg bones, torn ligaments, or joint pain
- Internal injuries, such as lung injuries
Therefore, the fact that cats almost always survive falling from great heights does not mean that they have superpowers or nine lives. Rather, this behavior has a scientific basis and can answer the questions of cat owners.
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