Cat flies out of 3 story window and walks away.

[aceplace57]

Cecil did a column on cats surviving falls. It still is amazing to see it happen so gracefully. That little moggy does spread himself out like a parachute and walks away. Tail up and proud as ever. Cats are so cool.

I find it amazing cats remain calm and can rationalize the situation. Screw this fire, I’m outta here! A dog would just panic and shut down. They’d find the dog in a corner dead from the smoke. AFAIK dogs wouldn’t jump from a window like that.

WATCH: Cat survives jumping from 3rd floor window after lightning strike sets...

Extract from Cecil’s column: Cats have a nonfatal terminal velocity (sounds like a contradiction in terms, but most small animals have this advantage). Once they orient themselves, they spread out like a parachute. There are cats on record that have fallen 20 stories or more without ill effects. As long as the cat doesn’t land on something pointy, it’s likely to walk away."

You’re thinking: no freaking way. But believers trot out a 1987 study from the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Two vets examined 132 cases of cats that had fallen out of high-rise windows and were brought to the Animal Medical Center, a New York veterinary hospital, for treatment. On average the cats fell 5.5 stories, yet 90 percent survived. (Many did suffer serious injuries.)

We know cats have exceptional coordination and balance, so maybe that contributed to the high survival rate. One cat, for example, is known to have survived a 46-story fall. (It apparently bounced off a canopy and into a planter.)

[Scubaqueen]

I have absolutely no problem with dropping all three of mine out of one of my Second Story windows in the event of fire. In fact, if the situation was that bad, I’d probably drop myself out of one of those windows right after them.

[GrandWino]

"Hey kids…today, we’re going to teach poodles how to fly! "

[Mister_Rik]

@Bob Ducca

"Hey kids…today, we’re going to teach poodles how to fly! "

Oh maaaaaan!

[MacTech]

@Bob Ducca

"Hey kids…today, we’re going to teach poodles how to fly! "

Yeah, but what about… Badgers?
(D&R…)

[Skywatcher]

Badgers? Badgers? We don’t need no flying badgers!

[VinylTurnip]

I’m pretty sure my cat would drop like a bowling ball.

[TreacherousCretin]

For the record: the “three-story cat” didn’t walk away, tail up, uninjured. He ran like hell after hitting the ground, and suffered a jaw injury.

[GrandWino]

@VinylTurnip

I’m pretty sure my cat would drop like a bowling ball.

But to be fair, your “cat” is just a bowling ball with whiskers and ears painted onto it.

[VinylTurnip]

@Bob Ducca

But to be fair, your “cat” is just a bowling ball with whiskers and ears painted onto it.

You leave Hambone alone!