How High Can Cats Fall? 6 Tips to Keeping Your Cat Safe

By Kate Wilson BS, CBCC, CPDT

The little metal door opened and, cautiously, a tan and black Siamese cat stepped out. I was meeting Lumi, a soft-coated and gentle cat who looked around with sparkly, deep blue eyes. He was being introduced to me by someone who had saved him from a recent abusive past. He was stunning (just like every single cat any of us have met and loved). He had a long, agile body and a noticeable limp from his past abuse.

As I began my relationship with Lumi, I quickly realized this feline needed a lot of mental enrichment and had very high physical and social needs. He was always busy, vocal, and also anxious. Because of his leg injury, I had new considerations that I had never had to make about his level of physical ability. His injury wasn’t severe, but it raised questions about how to be responsible for his safety while also not limiting his abilities.

Why cats love to climb and perch?

Cats are natural climbers with a history as both predator and prey species, and they enjoy the high vantage points and safety these places provide. Instinctively, when cats are startled, they look for a safe place to recover—these places can be hideaways or high perching locations.

How far can cats fall safely?

In the 1980s, a vet clinic in New York City noted that cats falling from great heights were surviving with minimal injuries. This phenomenon was coined “high-rise syndrome.” A paper looking at low-injury outcomes from falls between two to 32 stories found that the overall survival rate was 90 percent for those treated at that clinic. Heights less than two stories are typically excluded from high-rise syndrome studies, but in later studies, the lower the height, the less severe the injuries.

Another natural ability cats possess is their instinct to flip around feet-first using a “righting reflex.” This ability develops within weeks of birth and allows them to orient themselves mid-air. A cat can twist its spine, align its front and back legs, and arch its back to absorb the fall’s energy.

Previous studies, such as one in the Journal of Bionic Engineering by Xueqing Wu et al., have demonstrated that a cat’s limbs act as a “mechanical buffer” during landing. This means cats are able to reduce impact through natural behaviors like extending their legs, using their pads, and leveraging muscle and ligaments to absorb shock.

Monitoring a Cat for Injury

6 Tips on How to Arrange a Cat Wall & Cat Furniture Safely

Check your cat's physical ability and adjust the height and level of difficulty accordingly. You can still provide vertical and environmental enrichment tailored to your cat’s needs.

1. Add Grippy Mats: Provide extra traction like Sisal Mats or Cork pads on the topside of shelving to help prevent cats from slipping when jumping.

2. Use Soft Landings for Seniors: If you have an older cat or a cat with physical restrictions, place vertical spaces over a bed or couch.

3. Evaluate Your Cat’s Abilities: For declawed cats, use soft beds on the shelves, carpet, or mats to give extra grip. Install vertical spaces over soft landing zones like beds or couches.

What that all meant for Lumi

I was able to balance his physical ability with his need for enrichment by being careful and monitoring him for anxiety and injury. I added perches, bridges, hammocks, rope-wrapped poles, as well as daily food enrichment and leash walks to help build his confidence. The vertical space and carefully placed platforms helped him rebuild his strength and balance. Over time, he has become a loving and explorative cat. I feel confident in his ability and that the level of difficulty is safe—without limiting his potential.