The Righting Reflex
Did you ever wonder how cats always seem to be able to land on all four paws? Read on to find out!
What is the righting reflex?
The Righting Reflex is an inbuilt balancing system in cats and is responsible for a cat’s ability to almost always land on all four paws. It is important to know that cats cannot always land on all four feet as the height of the fall can affect their ability to land safely.
History
For many years, cats’ ability to almost always land on all fours had scientists baffled since the 19th century. It was initially believed that when cats were dropped, they somehow pushed off the person’s hand. However, this was proved to be incorrect by French scientist Etienne-Jules Marey in 1894. He discovered this to not be true by using a chronophotographic camera which allowed him to capture a video 60 frames a second of a cat’s fall and thus enabled him to watch how a cat fell in slow-motion.
How is it done?
Remember that the righting reflex is an inbuilt balancing system. SInce this is a balancing system, this allows the cat to quickly figure out which way is up and which way is down with the vestibular apparatus -located in the cat’s ear- being primarily responsible. Once the cat figures out which way is down, the cat turns itself the right way around during the fall by rotating their head instantly so that the rest of their body can follow.
A Unique Skeleton
A cat’s skeletal structure is incredibly unique. Their backbone is very flexible and consists of 30 vertebrae which are connected by especially elastic cushioning disks between them. Because their spine is flexible, this allows them to quickly correct themselves with ease during their fall. In addition, their low body to weight ratio helps them land on all four feet as it helps slow their velocity while falling.
Young Kittens
The righting reflex is developed early in cats and can first be seen in kittens as early as 3 weeks old. By 7 weeks it is fully developed!
Why do cats have the righting reflex?
Cats’ ability to almost always land on their feet is because they are adapted to spend a lot of time in trees and climbing. This caused them to evolve and gain traits such as a long tail, flexible spine, and the righting reflex!
Thank you for reading this blog on how and what enables cats to always seem to land on all four paws. I hope you all had a great Christmas and I hope you will also have a happy new year! I’ll see you in 2021!
Citations:
[1] “Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?” Purina, www.purina.co.uk/cats/behaviour-and-training/understanding-cat-behaviour/do-cats-land-on-their-feet.
[2] “Feline Physics: How The Righting Reflex Helps Cats Stick A Landing.” Fear Free Happy Homes, 4 Dec. 2018, fearfreehappyhomes.com/feline-physics-how-the-righting-reflex-helps-cats-stick-a-landing/.
[3] Staff, Live Science. “Why Do Cats Land on Their Feet?” LiveScience, Purch, 17 Sept. 2012, www.livescience.com/32117-why-do-cats-land-on-their-feet.html.