Thank Goodness For All This Rain

[DTCwordfan]

It probably saved my daughter's cat.....

she has just moved and on sunday, her beloved cat decided to jump out of the window - only five floors up in a Manchester ten-storey block...  It looks like she may have landed in muddy grass given the photos and security video....having taken advice from a friend who is a vet, the daughter has been watching her for shock and, today, with the cat showing signs of it in being a little off, bloated etc, took her to a vet hospital who gave the cat the once over, bloods, two scans, feel of the spine, abdomen, sh-tt examination and joints etc. No signs of damage but they have given her something for her leg joints, the cat a she.... Lucky, lucky and one of the nine lives has gone. If the flat had been on the other side of the building, probably goodbye what with the concrete there. As it was, she only missed the foundation of the building and ingress by about 18 inches.

And thank goodness, as my daughter's cat is very special to her - it's almost as if the cat had someone looking over her.

[Canary42]

I understand that cats reach terminal velocity fairly soon in a fall owing to quite high air resistance, and your daughter's cat would  survive a much higher fall.  

Not that she should be encouraged of course 😊. Glad to hear she's OK now.

[ladybirder]

How will she stop it happening again?

[Tilly2]

Lucky spud. Hope she's ok.

[DTCwordfan]

the hospital judged that she was close to the limit given age and weight - and my daughter has managed to reduce that from nearly 7kg to 4.91 post fall, the mud acting as a sponge, her pawmarks still visible.

As to stopping a repeat, she has probably learned the lesson but my daughter's bf is sourcing some netting or screen so that the windows can be opened but there's something that prevents the escape.....first time that she has done this as before she was living on the third floor in two apartments.

[DTCwordfan]

but never pulled a stunt like this!

[Patsy33]

Glad your daughter's cat is alright. I understand daughter's love for her cat completely. It's amazing what cats can  survive from! I'm sure the wet spongy grass helped too! 😀

[Hopkirk]

I believe the most likely injury in such cases is damage to the jaw. The legs are very effective shock absorbers but the chin can hit the ground.

[DTCwordfan]

Ok on that front apparently, hopkirk.....the vets have given her a pain-killer to help the joints. The chief vet was out to have a look and commented on just how lucky the cat was to have found a soft, muddy landing.

[windywillow]

So glad to hear the puss has survived. 👍

[pastafreak]

I'm so glad your daughter's cat is OK. I think they go limp and loose as they fall...it lessens the potential for serious damage. 

My late deaf cat Caspar went out the window twice. 4 floors up.The first time, I had no idea he could squeeze through the slightly open window. He landed in the hedges below...and was fine. The second time I'd forgotten to close the window...building handyman took him to emergency vet. They said his only injury was a bruised chin...it looked big and swollen. I had to tell them that was his normal look.

[237SJ]

I wonder why they try to jump out of tower block windows.  Maybe because cats are not meant to be indoor animals

[pastafreak]

I'd say they see movements...and its instinctive to grab or jump. 

[barry1010]

Glad all is well, it must have been frightening for everyone - including the cat

[Peter Pedant]

well learn a thing a day

While falling, a cat spreads out its body to increase drag. An average-sized cat with its limbs extended achieves a terminal velocity of about 60 mph (97 km/h), around half that of an average-sized man, which reaches a terminal velocity of about 120 mph (190 km/h

altho'these figures are easily enough to kill a fella

 

[wolf63]

She was one lucky cat.  As  Canary indicates - there has been a lot of studies done on cats falling or jumping.

I hope they manage to make the window safe.🐈🐈

[Peter Pedant]

did the er poor plummeting pussy er purr later ?

[Peter Pedant]

well readers-- Salvator Dali in the seventies was credited with seeking inspiration by throwing cat by their tails onto the roof of his arteest's studio ( bauhaus)  - this was said to be solved, eased by the arteest laying mattresses  on the flat roof

In fact part of the story appears here

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-story-surreal-photograph-salvador-dali-three-flying-cats

flinging cats across the room

( in view os the comments on terminal velocity we can confidently predict that no cat broke the sound barrier)

[ferlew]

Thank goodness kitty is (reasonably) ok after that dreadful experience.

[DTCwordfan]

thanks to all of you, the cat seemingly none the worse for its experience now - and back purring loudly like a Porsche, this being her name.