Cat Survives 80-Foot Fall From Tree

"Cheryl Sellner" wrote in message
...
On Tue 21 Mar 2006 09:22:04p, John F. Eldredge wrote in
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
):

The news article says that the cat jumped from 80 feet up, but
the video clip I saw on CNN looked more like the branch it was
standing on broke. I think most cats would have more sense than
to voluntarily jump from that high up.

The smaller an animal is, the more likely it is to survive a
fall, since air drag will have more effect. If one animal is
half the length, half the height, and half the width of another
of the same shape, the smaller animal will have 1/4 the surface
area but 1/8 the volume (and hence 1/8 the mass), so there is
twice the relative air drag.

I think a cat is probably pretty close to the upper limit of
being able to survive a fall that far, at least without major
injury.

I saw a video that someone shot of the cats' fall. It did land sort
of on its side, and did get right up and run off. The news story
kept stressing that the cat was fine, but we know that cats hide
their pain unless they're dying. I can't imagine it walked away
without injury as was reported. The cat is probably really hurting
with at least bruises and hopefully no bones broken, like ribs,
that can't be seen without an xray. That hadda hurt. Glad it's down
after a week in a tree.

The cat was on Good Morning America and was fine (having been checked by a
vet). She was very dehydrated from having spent 8 days in the tree before
she fell. The vet had given her lots of fluids and pain relief.

The family said they had been trying the whole time to get someone (fire
department, animal shelter, etc.) to help them get the cat down but nobody
would respond - they just told them the cat would come down on her own
(which she did, however unintentionally). The cat was an indoors-only cat
but had darted out when their children's friends had been in and out the
doors all weekend - that's probably why the cat didn't know how to climb
down on her own. The family had even shot arrown with lines attached over
branches in order to lift a basket into the tree with cat food. The stuck
cat had become a neighborhood cause and a neighbor had called the local TV
station trying to get some publicity so they could get someone to help them
rescue the cat - it was they who filmed the cat's fall.

--

Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/



--
Cheryl

A little known fact the fire department is required to respond unless the is
an human emergency. At least here in Florida they are required to.
"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"Cheryl Sellner" wrote in message
...
On Tue 21 Mar 2006 09:22:04p, John F. Eldredge wrote in
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
):

The news article says that the cat jumped from 80 feet up, but
the video clip I saw on CNN looked more like the branch it was
standing on broke. I think most cats would have more sense than
to voluntarily jump from that high up.

The smaller an animal is, the more likely it is to survive a
fall, since air drag will have more effect. If one animal is
half the length, half the height, and half the width of another
of the same shape, the smaller animal will have 1/4 the surface
area but 1/8 the volume (and hence 1/8 the mass), so there is
twice the relative air drag.

I think a cat is probably pretty close to the upper limit of
being able to survive a fall that far, at least without major
injury.

I saw a video that someone shot of the cats' fall. It did land sort
of on its side, and did get right up and run off. The news story
kept stressing that the cat was fine, but we know that cats hide
their pain unless they're dying. I can't imagine it walked away
without injury as was reported. The cat is probably really hurting
with at least bruises and hopefully no bones broken, like ribs,
that can't be seen without an xray. That hadda hurt. Glad it's down
after a week in a tree.

The cat was on Good Morning America and was fine (having been checked by a
vet). She was very dehydrated from having spent 8 days in the tree before
she fell. The vet had given her lots of fluids and pain relief.

The family said they had been trying the whole time to get someone (fire
department, animal shelter, etc.) to help them get the cat down but nobody
would respond - they just told them the cat would come down on her own
(which she did, however unintentionally). The cat was an indoors-only cat
but had darted out when their children's friends had been in and out the
doors all weekend - that's probably why the cat didn't know how to climb
down on her own. The family had even shot arrown with lines attached over
branches in order to lift a basket into the tree with cat food. The stuck
cat had become a neighborhood cause and a neighbor had called the local TV
station trying to get some publicity so they could get someone to help
them rescue the cat - it was they who filmed the cat's fall.

--

Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/



--
Cheryl

The family said they had been trying the whole time to get someone (fire
department, animal shelter, etc.) to help them get the cat down but nobody
would respond - they just told them the cat would come down on her own
(which she did, however unintentionally). The cat was an indoors-only cat
but had darted out when their children's friends had been in and out the
doors all weekend - that's probably why the cat didn't know how to climb

Obviously the fire dept, etc. didn't give a damn about the cat or they would
have helped. Sounds pretty cruel to me - to let a cat stay up there for 8
days!!

--
Message posted via CatKB.com
http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...dotes/200603/1

John F. Eldredge wrote:
The smaller an animal is, the more likely it is to survive a fall,
since air drag will have more effect. If one animal is half the
length, half the height, and half the width of another of the same
shape, the smaller animal will have 1/4 the surface area but 1/8 the
volume (and hence 1/8 the mass), so there is twice the relative air
drag.

Cats also have this amazing ability to flatten themselves when in
mid-air. I once got to witness this first-hand on the island. When I
went out on the jetty one day, I discovered that Frank had jumped on
board the boat. I wondered how he'd done that, since the boat wasn't
tied up to the jetty, but farther away, suspended between a buoy and the
cliffs. Then I saw him prepare to jump to the jetty, which was some two
metres (6 feet) away from the boat. I was absolutely sure he wouldn't
be able to make it and would fall in the sea. My heart shot into my
mouth and I watched as in slow-motion, right from the front of him, as
Frank took aim and sailed through the air toward me. He just flattened
out like a pancake and came flying. It was incredible! And he landed on
the jetty. I was so shocked I just stood there frozen to the spot, while
he came circling around my legs and looking pleased with himself.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki