The Maximum Height A Cat Can Fall From And Survive

Ever wake up in the middle of the night wondering just how far a cat can fall from and survive? 

Here’s the rough science – there’s actually a sweet spot where cats go from the dangerzone to flying squirrel/gravity distortion machines. 

If a cat falls a short distance, it’s always at risk. No surprise fall is good for anyone. 

But, if a cat falls more than about 7 stories, it’s actually got pretty good odds of sticking the landing. 

The logic is a cat will hit its maximum fall speed in the distance it takes to cover about 7 stories. 

This gives it time to twist and orient (as anyone who has seen a cat fall/jump from a height do). 

There’s a life lesson in here. 

The quick drama can kill us. 

But given time and space to orient, we can survive just about anything. 

Knowing what we need to do to twist, orient, and land when we catch ourselves slipping can save our lives too.