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So I was just watching some tv with the door open when a strange cat walks into my house. My own cats notice him and chase him upstairs, where he panics and jumps out onto the window ledge. I grab my cats and lock them in the bathroom, but as I return I hear a thump...he jumped out onto the pavement in my backyard. I looked for him outside, but there was no sign, he bolted off immediately. He must have jumped a good 12-13 feet, straight onto the hard surface. Could a cat make such a jump without injuring himself? I'm worried he may need help. I plan on asking around the neighbourhood tomorrow to find out whose cat it is.
Now that was an experience for you and your kitties!!
Yes, believe it or not cats can survive a jump/fall of great distances. Across the street from me, a year or so ago, a cat jumped out of a 70' high tree and lived to meow about it (her jump/fall was slowed by the branches of a magnolia tree). She was a semi-feral and there was a tree guy climbing up to rescue her, but he scared her more than being trapped so high up in the tree, and she decided to flee by jumping. We watched her for the next week or so as she wandered the neighborhood, and initially she was slightly limping (perhaps bruised by the branches she hit on her way down), but she fully recovered.
Long story about this cat, but "semi-feral" means "semi-owned" - irresponsible owners who left all their cats outside all the time - they've since moved away.
Yes, I would do the same as you, try to find out who the cat belongs to and make sure he/she is ok.
Now that was an experience for you and your kitties!!
Yes, believe it or not cats can survive a jump/fall of great distances. Across the street from me, a year or so ago, a cat jumped out of a 70' high tree and lived to meow about it (her jump/fall was slowed by the branches of a magnolia tree). She was a semi-feral and there was a tree guy climbing up to rescue her, but he scared her more than being trapped so high up in the tree, and she decided to flee by jumping. We watched her for the next week or so as she wandered the neighborhood, and initially she was slightly limping (perhaps bruised by the branches she hit on her way down), but she fully recovered.
Long story about this cat, but "semi-feral" means "semi-owned" - irresponsible owners who left all their cats outside all the time - they've since moved away.
Yes, I would do the same as you, try to find out who the cat belongs to and make sure he/she is ok.
Owners like that SUCK. Kind of like owners that keep a dog in a cage ALL DAY. (I know, dog, but, still.)
I still suspect my three white felines were put out from a car that stopped along the road. LUCKY WAS TOO. They all are home now. I mean, its not like someone is going to follow the car and write down a plate and call the cops.. shame. Shame, shame.
Yes, they can survive a leap like that just fine. Thank you for checking to make sure the kitty wasn't lying hurt under the bushes!
I've had neighbor cats visit. One was aggressive and used to paw open the poorly fitting screen door so it could come in and eat my cat's kibble. That stopped when I installed a hook and eye lock.
The weirdest visit was one time around Thanksgiving when I lived in this student hovel in college. I had the flu, burned my leftover chicken stir fry (it was mostly rice), and left the kitchen window open to air out the room. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up to a big mama calico sleeping at my feet. Her owners had gone out of state and left her outside. She smelled the chicken and probably came in looking for it.
We were friends anyway, I used to bring her table scraps from the student union.
I let her stay for the rest of the holiday. She was great company! (:
Yes, they can survive a leap like that just fine. Thank you for checking to make sure the kitty wasn't lying hurt under the bushes!
I've had neighbor cats visit. One was aggressive and used to paw open the poorly fitting screen door so it could come in and eat my cat's kibble. That stopped when I installed a hook and eye lock.
The weirdest visit was one time around Thanksgiving when I lived in this student hovel in college. I had the flu, burned my leftover chicken stir fry (it was mostly rice), and left the kitchen window open to air out the room. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up to a big mama calico sleeping at my feet. Her owners had gone out of state and left her outside. She smelled the chicken and probably came in looking for it.
We were friends anyway, I used to bring her table scraps from the student union.
I let her stay for the rest of the holiday. She was great company! (:
Considering how her 'owners' took such good care of her, perhaps you should have just kept her permanently.
Considering how her 'owners' took such good care of her, perhaps you should have just kept her permanently.
Makes my blood boil when I hear things like that.
I know, I know. I had some words for them when they came home, but I was a broke student, and at that point, I was moving each semester, so no pets of my own right then. I petted all the neighbor cats and had offered to cat sit, but they were druggies with no planning skills.
Mama calico did eventually go live one their relative's farm, so she ended up in a good place. I remember going out there to buy eggs and she followed me around the whole time I was there. (:
I know, I know. I had some words for them when they came home, but I was a broke student, and at that point, I was moving each semester, so no pets of my own right then. I petted all the neighbor cats and had offered to cat sit, but they were druggies with no planning skills.
Mama calico did eventually go live one their relative's farm, so she ended up in a good place. I remember going out there to buy eggs and she followed me around the whole time I was there. (:
I understand. I've been there too where circumstances wouldn't let me do what I wanted to. But glad things worked out relatively better for the cat.
Our back door is open much of the time and we have no screens. No bugs so no need. The only thing that causes problems is birds sometimes fly in then pandemonium for a minute or two. Dog and cat instantly on the bird. Catch it or chase it outside or it is in trouble.
Had a feral who lived on our patio for 10 years. Las Vegas cat. After the comped food. We would slip a tranquilizer into her food every other year and take her in to the vet. She could hit the roof with a intermediate bounce off a pedestal and would jump down directly into the grass. More than a 10 foot leap. Did it routinely.
It's pretty amazing what cats can do. I once had a cat named Snooch (bestest bud ever for me, way back then, and this was way, way back...in the early 80s) and at the time I was young, living with my husband in an apartment complex. We were acting as the superintendents, and so I would go in and clean apartments after tenants moved out [that's a WHOLE other story there...some of the things I've seen are the stuff of nightmares].
One day I headed up to an empty apartment on the second floor to do some cleaning, and Snooch, always at my side, tagged along. I was using a pretty strong oven cleaner in the kitchen so had to open the windows...and of course, none of them had screens. I never really thought too much about it as I set to work, as Snooch had made himself comfortable on the floor in the living room. However, at some point - without me noticing - he decided to get a view of the great outdoors, and he jumped up onto one of the window sills to watch the world go by. As I finished working on the oven I walked out of the kitchen, and that's when I spotted him in the open window...and a second later, saw a flock of pigeons go flying past, followed by my cat BANZAAAIIIING!!!! straight out the window - he decided, I guess, that he could do the same thing as them. Unfortunately, gravity superseded his kitty superpowers and Snooch plunged to the pavement two stories below.
Was he hurt? Physically, no. I screamed when I saw him fall, and fled down the stairwell to get outdoors, expecting to see my beloved cat lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. But no...by the time I got there he was up and trotting around, no broken bones, not a limp, no sign of any injury at all. I do believe, though, that his pride took a pretty severe pounding, as he wouldn't even look at me for the longest time (you did NOT see me do that...you did NOT see me...).
Of course, he and I never spoke about it again.
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