I live in a barn that’s been converted into a house. The ceiling in the living room is about 40 feet at the highest point. There are cedar beams going from floor to ceiling. This morning, our most adventurous cat, Butters (who is about 5 months old now) decided to climb up one of these pillars, and managed to get onto a rafter. Now, I don’t have a 30 foot ladder to climb up, so tried to figure out what I would do. Finally, I decided I would get up on the counter which was below part of the rafter, and hold a blanket, trying to coax her to jump in it. While I was getting the blanket folded she apparently decided that it was taking too long, and took the plunge directly onto the floor.
Besides being a little skittish right afterward, she seems perfectly fine. I petted her some, trying to see if any spots were sore and she act like anything hurt. She’s not limping or acting any different. Had this happened while everyone was out of the house, I doubt we’d know anything happened.
I know that cats can act perfectly fine even though they’re injured or sick, and obviously if something seems wrong in the next few days, we’ll take her to the vet. I’m curious, though: What’s the highest you’ve seen a cat jump from and still be okay?
I had a kitten once fall from a balcony about 15 or 20 feet up, and she was okay (I think we even took her to the vet, and they said it happened a lot, and she’d be okay).
If the cat is not limping then broken extremities are unlikely, the biggest concern would be a thoracic injury. There is a potential for lung contusions or pneumothorax and it’s possible they may not be immediately apparent. If you’re able to keep an eye on the cat you can just watch it for signs and rush it to the vet if you see any. Chances are good that the distance was a safe distance and the cat may be fine. Watch for lethargy, coughing or any difficulty breathing.
The remarkably stupid, yet very agile and fond of heights - Bear - is always taking a running leap on to the stair railing on the upstairs landing. It’s about a 16 foot drop to the hardwood floor if he misses or slips the wrong way.
The Wife is terrified we’ll find him doing a Sylvester on the floor one day. I’m pretty sure he’s already found the floor once or twice just by the renewed caution he seems to exercise.
Unless he’s landed on his head and gotten dumber (as if we could even tell), he’s suffered no ill effects.
…and envious of your high ceilings. I’d love to live in a converted barn. The closest I can come is being accused of being born in a barn.
Oh, the cat is probably OK. You might consider some barriers to straying that high like those shields people use to prevent squirrels from climbing up to a bird feeder.
I’m also envious, vicariously, of the high ceilings on behalf of cats everywhere. When my mom moved to upstate New York she stayed for a few months in a relative’s vacation camphouse that also had huge ceilings and rafters, and I totally guessed that their two cats were absolutely loving it, being able to climb so high at will.
Now, those ceilings were not even 30 feet high, but that didn’t stop my mom from dragging matresses to the most likely landing spots. Fortunately no spills in her case, though.
Well pick your cat up. Examine her. Does she hiss at you, and scratch at you and spit in your face? Does she refuse to eat the food you give her? Does she attack you when you try to pet her and treat you indifferently at all times? If so, she’s fine
I love that first picture and couldn’t resist adding a line.
Re: the OP, others have advised sensibly about monitoring puss for any hidden effects but on the plus side, if he/she/it is fine but freaked, it’s unlikely to do that again anytime soon.
She seems fine… in fact, she was fine enough that she went ahead and climbed right back onto the rafter again. Thankfully she managed to climb back down the pole safely without any jumping.
We’re looking into getting something to prevent her climbing.
