Why do cats always seem to land on all fours?

cardsfan_027

"Cats have a highly-tuned sense of balance and have very flexible backbones (because they have more vertebrae than humans), which allows them to twist their bodies around to right themselves when they fall - an innate ability known as their "righting reflex." "When a cat jumps or falls from a high place, it uses either its sight or its vestibular apparatus (a balance system located in the inner ear) to determine up from down, and then rotates its upper body to face downward. Its lower body follows suit." http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/22-why-do-cats-land-on-their-feet.html Mar 05 13, 12:03 PM

malvoisin

You're right they mostly land on all four legs. But they have to fall from a height of at least 20 inches. If they fall from lower then that height, they may not have enough time to finish turning. If you've ever watched closely, their head and forelegs turn upright first, then hind legs, then tail. Mar 05 13, 11:06 PM

aliki

The tail is important. Cats without tails do not have the same ability to land on their feet. Mar 11 13, 9:03 PM