What is Cat righting reflex?
[[File:Falling cat 1894.jpg|thumb|300px|Images of a falling cat. This was from the journal ''Nature'' printed in 1894]] The '''cat righting reflex''' is a [[cat]]'s natural [[wikt:ability|ability]] to turn itself around as it falls so it will land on its feet. This righting reflex starts to happen at 3–4 weeks of age. The cat has entirely learned how to do this by 6–7 weeks.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Jeri A. Sechzera, Susan E. Folsteina, Eric H. Geigera, Ronald F. Mervisa, Suzanne M. Meehana|title=Development and maturation of postural reflexes in normal kittens|journal=Experimental Neurology|date=December 1984|volume=86|issue=3|pages=493–505|doi=10.1016/0014-4886(84)90084-0|pmid=6499990|s2cid=23606824|url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0014-4886%2884%2990084-0|access-date=20 August 2014}}</ref> Cats are able to do this because they have a flexible [[Vertebral column|backbone]] and a [[clavicle]] that does not move. The minimum [[height]] needed for this to happen safely in most cats is about 12 inches. Cats without a [[tail]] can also do this. This is because a cat mostly moves its hind legs and does not use much [[angular momentum]] to set itself up for landing. So a tail is not really needed for this [[skill]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://helix.gatech.edu/Classes/ME3760/1998Q3/Projects/Nguyen/ | title = How does a Cat always land on its feet? | author = Huy D. Nguyen | publisher = Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Medical Engineering | access-date = 2007-05-15 | archive-date = 2010-08-19 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100819151937/http://helix.gatech.edu/Classes/ME3760/1998Q3/Projects/Nguyen/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> Using this righting reflex, cats can often land without [[injury]]. But, this is not always true, since cats can still break bones or die from [[wikt:extreme|extreme]] falls. In a 1987 study, written in the ''Journal of the [[American Veterinary Medical Association]]'', 132 cats were looked at after having fallen from [[building]]s. The injuries per cat were more, d