The cat is an animal that has always lived accompanied by various ancient myths and beliefs. Some without foundation, such as thinking that black cats bring bad luck, and others that have some scientific basis, as in this case the ability to land on your feet.
Myth or Reality?
Ensuring that cats always land on their feet is a belief that has led to the belief that they have nine lives. However, it is not true that the cat always lands on its feet, and even when it does this does not mean that it is saved from suffering injuries, in some cases quite serious.
Although on many occasions the cat is capable of falling from considerable heights without suffering damage, it does not mean that you should allow your feline access to windows, balconies and other places that lack a appropriate protection, because an accident can cost you your life.
The process, why do they land on their feet?
During a fall into the void, two things play a fundamental role for the cat to be able to straighten its body and land on its feet: hearing and flexibility.
As it happens with the rest of the mammals, in the inner ear of the cat is the vestibular system, in charge of controlling the balance. Within this system there is a liquid that moves in the ear, indicating to the cat that it has lost its center of gravity.
In this way, when the cat falls, the first thing it tries to straighten is its head and neck. Then, a physical law on the conservation of angular motion is applied, which states that a body that rotates on its axis generates resistance and changes its speed.
Through this principle it can be explained that the cat, when it falls, is able to perform a turn of 180 degrees and straighten its entire spine, while retracting its front legs and stretching its rear ones; all this thanks to the flexibility of his body. Once this is done, you are already looking at the ground. Afterwards, he will collect his legs and arch his spine, in a position that has earned him the nickname of parachutist. With this movement he intends to cushion the blow of the fall and, in many cases, he succeeds
However, the speed of the fall is not decreased, so if it is from a great height it is likely that, even if you have fallen on your foot, you will suffer terrible damage to your legs and spine, and even die.
The reflex generated in the ear takes a thousandth of a second to activate, but the cat needs another vital few seconds to be able to make all the necessary turns that allow it to land on its feet. If the distance of the fall is very short, it will not succeed; if it is very long it may succeed and reach the ground unharmed, or it may turn but still do a lot of damage. In any case, it is a helpful but not infallible reflex
And if the cat doesn't like it? What should we do?
Felines are excellent climbers as well as extremely curious animals, for this reason, it is very common for them to try to explore new places such as the balcony or some windows of your home.
We must understand that for them these small incursions are a source of enrichment and fun, so we should not avoid it, on the contrary: incorporate a mesh or netof security to cover your balcony is a great way to keep your cat happy and allow him to enjoy the outdoors.
However, if we don't have it, it can happen that our cat falls from a considerable height, something that if repeated on several occasions, receives the name of "parachuting cat syndrome". In any case, if our cat has fallen and seems badly injured, we must evaluate its situation and apply first aid to Go to the vet as soon as possible
