Cats are bold, curious, often fearless adventurers—part of the reason we love ’em. Unfortunately, that also means it’s easy for them to find trouble.
Even indoor-only cats can dance with danger. (I once had to “rescue” my orange kitty Catillac when she got herself wedged behind the dryer. Who knows why she ended up back there? Probably just trying to figure out if it was a good spot to nap.)
Cats’ penchant for getting into trouble and then barely escaping with their lives is how that whole “cats have nine lives” thing got started, I’m sure. Check out this kitty—she spent two entire days trapped at the top of a power pole! Then, when rescuers from the power company approached, she leaped 30 feet to the ground, suffering no injuries whatsoever.
Hard to believe this kitty escaped unharmed, but true. Cats often survive major falls because their bodies are relatively small and their bones are light. They also usually—yet not always—land on their feet. Actually, they can’t help it. It’s called a “righting reflex” and is explained in very cool detail on this Wikipedia page.
So, do you have a cat who makes a career out of escaping danger? How many “lives” does he or she have left? Please comment!
—Allison Ruffing
