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why dont cats fall upside-down2007-11-25 12:32:30

they get to fall on their feet instead of their backs,you know.

Answers:

Cats DON'T ALWAYS land on their feet.

Therefore, it is wrong to toss them in the air, or drop them from a high place, to see if they do. Cats CAN get seriously hurt or killed from this type of activity.

The way their body works during a fall is as follows:

When falling they are able to turn their head around enough so that they are looking at the ground. Then the body is twisted around to become realigned with the head by using the tail as a counter balance. Once realigned/oriented with it's feet in the downward position, it spreads itself out, much like a flying squirrel, so that its' body acts like and airfoil (wing) and that helps to slow the fall down. Near the ground the cat relaxes its' body, and puts its' four feet down to help absorb the shock of hitting the ground.

Usually, the cat is fine and will walk away with no injuries. Occasionally the cat is injured or even killed from the fall.

Hope this helps you to understand a little better.

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Its their instinct born in them.

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Cats don't always manage to land on their feet. Cats do have a sort of self righting body positioning physical structure though. All the cat has to do is push the front two feet down then the back two will align themselves accordingly.

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If cats fall a short distance, they can almost always right themselves and land on their feet. If they fall more than one or two floors, however, they may sustain severe or even fatal injuries. The number of cats who become injured from falling is increasing, partially because of the large number of multi-story apartment buildings. Cats who are injured during falls are often said to have 'high rise syndrome.'