High-rise syndrome
Do you know what high-rise syndrome is?
Veterinary doctors call it high-rise syndrome or HRS when a cat that lives in an apartment falls off from the second floor (7 metres or 23 feet) or higher.
The worst injuries happen when cats fall from anywhere under the 7th floor. Why? If a cat falls from under the 2nd floor, he probably won’t be able to rotate around his axis. Between 2nd and 7th floor, vestibular system (the one in charge of equilibrium) allows him to rotate and land on his feet. As there is no homogeneous distribution of impact force, limb injuries are frequent. Above the 7th floor, terminal velocity is achieved and the feline vestibular system inactivated. So cats will often land on their side but have less serious injuries because the distribution of impact force is evener.
According to some research, survival rates when a cat falls off high places are usually more than 90%, but it can be fatal. Cats falling off high places have a median age between 1 to 3 years (usually are more active and inexperienced with dangerous situations) and there is no difference between sexes.
This name is used to refer to the lesions derived from this kind of fall, that could be due to:
- Disregard from the owner.
- Innate cat curiosity.
- Chasing insects or birds near a window.
- Inexperience from young kittens or cats that arrived in new homes.
- The beginning of sexual activity.
Most frequent injuries are:
- Limb fractures
- Facial lesions
- Thoracic trauma (pulmonary contusion or pneumothorax)
How can we prevent it?
- If your cat has access to the balcony, you should have a protective net.
- Don’t allow your cat to get to an open window to watch, have the windows always closed so that he can see through it.
- Never let your cat unsupervised if he is in high places.