Vet explains nine lives of cat

Tuesday, 2 February 2010 19:00

A pet healthcare professional has revealed the reasoning behind the fallacy that says cats have nine lives.

Dr Bernhard Pukay wrote in the Vancouver Sun that there was a physics-related explanation for the fact that felines seem to be able to fall off ridiculous heights and survive.

"Cats ... appear to have the unique ability to achieve a terminal velocity of 100 km/h and they reach this velocity after falling five storeys," he commented, adding that this meant a moggy that falls 32 storeys has as much chance of being alright as the one that falls seven storeys.

For some perspective, humans reach terminal velocity of 200 km/h after 32 stories.

Dr Pukay went on to explain that after reaching this point, the feline vestibular system, or balancing organs, cause it to relax and splay out its body in the style of a parachute.

However, owners should not think their cats are impervious to high-rise syndrome as so do die from falling too far, usually because of chest trauma and both dogs and moggies can suffer from High-Rise Syndrome after two storeys.

According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, a cat is said to have nine lives because it is "more tenacious of life than many animals".

Animal Friends are a specialist pet insurance company providing dog insurance and cat insurance to British pet owners since 1999 and we now offer horse insurance too.

Posted by Gemma