Can Cats Really Fall Safely from Great Heights?

The notion that a cat can fall from a great height and live probably sounds like a superstition, like the idea that cats have nine lives. But, to some extent, the notion is true. Cats can fall from very high places and survive.

Why? Because a cat’s sense of balance enables it to always land on its soft, padded feet, which cushion its fall. Jungle cats often leap from tall trees and land on top of their prey. One house cat was even known to fall from a 20-story Apartment building and suffer only minor injuries!

Then there’s the story about the cat that fell from the top of the Washington Monument, but no one knows for sure if it is true.

According to the tale, workers who were constructing the monument in Washington, D.C., found a cat hiding in the framework near the top of the structure. Frightened by the workers, the cat jumped off the framework. The fall was more than 500 feet, yet the cat survived!