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High Rise Syndrome
If cats take a real fall, such as two or more floors, even though they can right themselves, their legs and feet can no longer absorb all of the shock. Their heads may hit the ground and they often bruise their chin and may fracture some teeth. Falls of four or more floors cause the cat to hit the ground at maximum velocity and thus acquire a multitude of injuries including a ruptured diaphragm, torn liver, and fractured bones. Interestingly, two veterinarians did a study (examining 132 cases of cats that had fallen out of high-rise windows) and found that in falls of seven stories or less, the chance of survival was indeed greater with the shorter distances. However, with falls greater than seven stories, the number of injuries actually declined when compared to falls at seven stories. So, beyond seven stories, the farther the fall, the better the chance of survival! They found that the reason for this was that after five stories or so, cats reach 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 about 60 mph. Before reaching terminal velocity, cats have their muscles tensed and are rigid and flexed and prepared for landing, making them more prone to injury due to the impact. Once they've reached terminal velocity, however, they relax and spread themselves out much like a flying squirrel, allowing the impact to be absorbed by a larger surface area and therefore resulting in fewer injuries.
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