12 Scientific Explanations For The Weird Things Cats Do
6. Do They Really Always Land On Their Feet?
The self-righting mechanism in cats is a reflex, they can't help it.
Their highly tuned inner ear, responsible for cats' excellent balance, can detect which way is up in a matter of seconds and their body allows them to easily right themselves in mid-air.
The fact that a cat's spine is extremely flexible, with six more vertebrae than a human, and that their collarbones are "free floating" means that they can twist quickly and absorb impact highly effectively.
Cats can survive seemingly impossibly high falls, and studies have even shown that cats that fall from a height of seven storeys or more are more likely to escape serious injury than one that has fallen from a lower height.
This could have something to do with the fact that a cat's terminal velocity (the maximum speed at which it can fall) is relatively low thanks to their light bones and thick fur. If a cat reaches terminal velocity, it will actually spread out, reducing its speed further, and relax, meaning that the impact will harm it less.
This doesn't mean that you should go flinging your cat out of windows, they can still be harmed by a fall, but they're just much better equipped to deal with an accidental stumble than humans are.