# Will a cat jump off the 14th floor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237 "2004-07-02T17:15:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wisernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@wisernow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wisernow)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237/1 "2004-07-02T17:15:54Z")
I have a cat and I live on the 14th floor of an apartment building. The cat just loves going out and rolling on the balcony floor, and seems to immensely enjoy gazing down at the world from that lofty height. When I found her poking her head and leaning out through the spaces in the parapet wall, I blocked them off by a netting. However, sometimes, and don’t ask me why, the cat seems to get mighty excited and jumps up on top of the parapet wall which is only about an inch in width, and th acrobat she seems to be, even manages to balance herself there on that narrow ledge for a few seconds before safely dropping back. Needless to say, she enjoys the look of horror on my face when she does this. The question is this – Can the cat be left alone on the balcony to enjoy herself or will she someday make a mistake and fall off? How safe is it to leave her unattended outside on the balcony? Thanks for any replies. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237/2 "2004-07-02T17:22:29Z")
[A related answer from the Master](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_190.html). FWIW, it is not a good idea at all. What if your cat is startled or a gust of wind hits? You are literally talking about a one inch line between fun and serious injury/death. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237/3 "2004-07-02T19:50:21Z")
During a party, our friends cat jump off the balcony chasing a bird. We didn.t go looking for him, considering we were on the 21th floor. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![brane\_damaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a587f6/32.png) [@brane\_damaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brane_damaj)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237/4 "2004-07-02T20:30:19Z")
I concur. It’s just a matter of time before kitty gets personally aquainted with the law of gravity…especially if you kick her right. I’m a bad person. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237/5 "2004-07-02T21:04:16Z")
I agree. A cat of a friend of mine leapt from a 10th floor balcony. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237/6 "2004-07-02T21:15:10Z")
[linky-link](http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae411.cfm)to a study of cats falling from highrises. A cat is more likely to survive a fall from higher up tham a fall from 2 or 3 stories. That’s not to say you should leave your cat out there to find out, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237/7 "2004-07-02T22:37:25Z")
Our cat was lucky. It was only two floor up when she lept at a bird that was enticing her to do exactly that. End of outdoors excursions. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-cat-jump-off-the-14th-floor/253237/8 "2004-07-02T22:39:19Z")
Under the right circumstances, yes, a cat will jump off the 14th floor. They can misjudge the jump, get hit with a cross-wind, or just plain lose their footing. They can take a flying leap at a passing bird. (I saw a cat once that had done that very thing. He’d only jumped from the second floor, but he’d landed on a stick and…how can I put this delicately?..impaled himself. It was not pretty.) If you’re going to let kitty hang out on the balcony, it might be worthwhile to get her a harness and a short tether.