What should you do if your cat fell of a great height?

 

A few things that an owner of a cute feline creature should remember - cats are fearless and curious. They are not afraid of heights, and can climb any high-rise in pursuit of a fly. I'm sure that everyone, at least once in their life, saw a cat sitting on the top of a high tree. And trust me, it made its way there on purpose.

Maybe it was running away from a dog, and went extra mile (be it vertically) to make sure it is safe, or maybe it was chasing it's prey and didn't notice how high it climbed. It doesn't matter what the purpose was, what matters is how to get down. 

Most of the time it is not a problem, after getting some rest a cat will find its way down without any harm. But what if there is no safe way down? 

What if a cat jumped off a balcony, or other place of a great height? 

How dangerous can such a great fall be for a cat?

It is much easier for a cat to fall from a great height unharmed, than it is for a human, because of their skeletal structure. Their bones are much tougher, while overall weight is much lower than that of a human. In addition to that, cats always land on their paws, which helps soften the blow.

Falling off a height of 3-storey building is practically harmless for a cat, it is like jumping off a stool for a human.

A height of 5 floors is a different story. If a cat lands on a soft surface (snowdrift, lawn, flower bed, etc), it will be severely frightened but essentially unharmed. But if it lands on a hard surface - it will get injured.

How dangerous is it for a cat to fall off a great height?

♦ Because cats always land on their feet, the most common injuries are limb fractures.

♦ Hard landings may lead to a concussion, as well as other head injuries.

♦ Spinal injuries are possible as a result of improper landing (when a cat was not able to land softly on its feet)

♦ Cat should be examined by a veterinarian after a hard fall for bruises of internal organs and as a result - possible internal bleeding.

♦ A serious fall may lead to a shock and it is possible for a cat to develop a psychological trauma.

In general it is hard to foresee the consequences of a fall from a great height. Sometimes cats get injured by falling from a small height, and sometimes cats can fall from unimaginable heights without any harm.