We have always seen cats as great tightrope walkers, agile, fast and very cunning, so much so that we say they have 7 lives. But the fact is, their strategies don't always turn out well, they have calculation errors, impulses that are difficult to control, among other factors, and sometimes the flight, the chase or the game go wrong and end in an accident.
Did you know that there is a syndrome in felines known as parachuting cat syndrome? A priori it may sound funny to us, but it is a problem that should concern those who have a domestic feline in their lives, especially if they live in tall buildings, precisely because of these natural mistakes they can make.
Keep reading this new article on our site to find out what parachuting cat syndrome is all about and what to do if it happens produce.
What is skydiving cat syndrome
This syndrome, also known under the name of the flying cat syndrome, deals with the domestic accident that cats most commonly suffer and is that falls from great heights happen much more often than we might think.
It may be that our cat is chasing another, an insect or a bird and decides to confidently jump out the window to go after its target and at that moment our cat is acting in a way known as the syndrome of flying cat or skydiver.
Many times we see how they fall gracefully, as if it did not cost them the least effort, because it is a low height, or, in cases of higher height, they leave us even more speechless when they make a turn in the air that allows them to fall adequately to cushion the fall and run away. It is precisely at an intermediate height, that is, a height too high to land smoothly with a simple jump and too low to be able to make the turn and land with the legs in front, or when it is an extremely high height and no matter how much can be placed well the impact is too strong, when there is danger for our cat.
This syndrome occurs when the feline executes decisively, but in such a way that it ignores the set of real variables, a jump from an inappropriate heightto be able to do it correctly and the result varies according to that height and the previous physical state of the animal.
Are some cats more prone than others?
One factor that is known for certain not to affect propensity in this case is the factor of the cat's gender. On the other hand, yes it will affect the fact that it is sterilized or not, because if it is not, it is very common for them to have a hard time controlling the sexual impulse that they always have. leads to running away from home and one option is always the window or the balcony.
Another factor is age, because the younger the cat, the more curious and inexperienced it is. In addition, in the middle of adolescence is when the sexual impulse that we mentioned before is higher.
In the case of kittens a few months old there is also a clear tendency, because lack of experience is very high since they are still learning and knowing the world. Part of a kitten's learning process is learning to measure distances, hence the hilarious videos circulating the internet of clumsy little cats falling over trying to get to places that turn out to be further away than they thought. Precisely, as they are not aware of the distance from their window or balcony to the ground or the nearest surface, they confidently jump and fall badly.
Furthermore, it is possible that a kitten that does not have a normal learning process will not learn many things about being a cat and in these cases, even if the cat is older, it will never act in the cat's way. all cats and if one of the things affected in their learning was distances, this cat will have more chances of falling from their balcony or window.
The good thing about all this is that there are several ways to prevent this from happening regardless of how our cat is. Later in this article we will discuss the most effective forms of prevention.
How to act and first aid
As soon as we detect that a cat has had a spectacular fall, we should go to assess the possible damage. It is vital that if the animal does not get up on its own, we do not pick it up or move it right off the bat, otherwise we will have to call the veterinary emergency room to be told as best as possible, depending on the state of the animal, how to handle it to be able to transport it or what will be the best option.
If the fall was from an intermediate height, it is quite likely that no external injuries will be seen and that the furry will even get up on its own. Even so, the most advisable thing to do is always go to the vet immediately, since it is very easy for there to be internal injuries and these can range from mild to very serious. We may only notice a slight limp, but we will need to pick him up and take him in for a full checkup as it could be a broken leg or even internal injuries that need to be treated immediately.
In the event that external injuries have occurred during the fall, it will depend on the severity of these and the general condition of the cat whether or not it is convenient for us to do something. We must think that in the falls of cats with paratrooper syndrome, the injuries par excellence are the internal ones, especially the breakage of the palate and the front legs, followed by breakages in the thorax and abdomen.
Another result in these cases is death, which usually occurs when the fall is from a height of floors that is too high, either instantaneously or after a short time due to internal injuries.
Due to the variety of possible outcomes, the first aid that we ourselves can offer is very limited, the most relevant being observation immediately, call the emergency room and follow their steps, and take the injured or apparently uninjured cat to the nearest veterinarian.
The life of our faithful cat friend, in many cases, will depend on our being able to carry out these simple steps as quickly as possible.
Efficient prevention
As we have mentioned before, there are many ways to avoid these accidents. For example, starting with neutering our cat or cat and thus greatly reducing the probability that he will feel the need to run away from home.
Another very logical and simple way is to avoid access to windows and balconies, but if you can't or want to, you can at least avoid exiting through these parts of the house. We will have to place grids or mosquito nets correctly and so our cats will not be able to go out there, but they will be able to look and browse as they like.
Another idea is to make sure you enrich his home environment enough so that he doesn't seek to go out for food or fun. We can provide you with interactive games for cats, search for food in various parts of the house, if possible there is more than one cat so that they always feel accompanied, scratching posts at different levels and with various toys, circuits, shelves, etc.
