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"There was a Discovery Channel special on this a while back. The truth is, after a few floors it doesn't really matter [how far the cat falls], as
long as the oxygen holds out. Cats have a nonfatal terminal velocity (sounds like a contradiction in terms, but most small animals have this
advantage). Once they orient themselves, they spread out like a parachute. There are cats on record that have fallen 20 stories or more without ill
effects. As long as the cat doesn't land on something pointy, it's likely to walk away."
You're thinking: no freaking way. But the believers trot out a 1987 study from the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Two vets examined 132 cases of cats that had fallen out of high-rise windows and were brought to the Animal Medical Center, a New York veterinary
hospital, for treatment. On average the cats fell 5.5 stories, yet 90 percent survived. (Many did suffer serious injuries.)