So my cat in all his awesomeness was rolling around on the front porch area and kinda rolled off. I had a heart attack since we are on the third floor. He was just running around scared but perfectly fine. He took a 20-30 foot fall and has no issues that I can tell, is there anything I should check on or look out for? It was a big fall. Im still kind of in shock he is such a great kitty and I want to make sure he is ok.

We put chicken wire up on the bottom of our porch to avoid those issues. I'd feel him all over in the morning and make sure nothing's uncomfortable or painful, and if it is take him to the emergency vet.

CMR, you are a cat whisperer who is also a cat whisperer?

Feed the kitty some people tuna. They seem to really like it. Then don't worry.

It's unlikely he'll make the same mistake twice. They're not stupid like most people

They have a very flexible spinal column and can successfully absorb quite a jolt.
Although 30' is quite a drop.
Hope your kitty has no ill effects.

Watch for signs of pain like limping, or for running off and hiding, which some cats will do when sick or injured. But from what I've read so far it doesn't sound that way.

I recall reading an article once that stated that the higher the fall the more likely the cat will land on its feet, because it has time to determine up from down and can situate itself for landing. There have been witnessed occasions of cats surviving falls of fifty feet, apparently their bodies catch the air, they become sort of furry parachutes and it slows their descent.

This big guy is getting treats and seems to be fine. Not hiding and seems completely normal lol I think I'm in worse shape over it than he is. I will keep a close eye on him though and some yummy food will be had tonight.

I lived in a 5 story apartment building when I was stationed in Italy. I lived on the third floor. It was not unusual to see my neighbors Siamese cat go hurtling by on his way to the ground. The cat resided on the fourth floor and would jump at passing birds and sail off the balcony.
He did it multiple times, without injury.
Stupid, but durable.

quote:

Originally posted by clubleaf206:
I recall reading an article once that stated that the higher the fall the more likely the cat will land on its feet, because it has time to determine up from down and can situate itself for landing. There have been witnessed occasions of cats surviving falls of fifty feet, apparently their bodies catch the air, they become sort of furry parachutes and it slows their descent.

It doesn't take much height for a cat to make the maneuver. If you like science, watch this from "smarter every day" on how it is accomplished:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtWbpyjJqrU

Well, he'll yeah! Awesome stunt cat you got there

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
...go hurtling by on his way to the ground. The cat resided on the fourth floor and would jump at passing birds and sail off the balcony.
He did it multiple times, without injury.
Stupid, but durable.

Sounds like he was manufactured by Mikoyan-and-Gurevich.

Check its teeth, Our cat had an almsot identical situation, rolled out a window on our 3rd floor apartment and stuck the landing 10/10 but the poor girl knocked a tooth out.

Cats have a remarkable skeletal structure, which, if they land on their paws, properly, allows them to survive landing on the ground from unbelievable heights. He's probably ok, but, it probably wouldn't hurt to have your vet check him out.

They will be fine. When I was growing up, we had a wrap around porch and also a basement. The cat dropped from rail down 20ft. Scared the crap out of me but they are pretty stout for falling.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I lived in a 5 story apartment building when I was stationed in Italy. I lived on the third floor. It was not unusual to see my neighbors Siamese cat go hurtling by on his way to the ground. The cat resided on the fourth floor and would jump at passing birds and sail off the balcony.
He did it multiple times, without injury.
Stupid, but durable.

the mental images I had reading this made me chuckle

My sister once lived in a 5th floor apartment with a balcony. Her cat would lay out on the balcony, outside of the railing. One day he was (probably) sleeping there and just rolled off the edge. She was working at the time and didn't see it happen. He was killed on impact, but nobody knows whether he landed on his feet or not. If he was asleep when he fell off, he might not have had time to realize the situation and right himself.

When I lived in SoCal, I lived in a 2nd story condo with its own private ground level entrance. The top of the half wall around the stairs was painted in gloss paint.

The first time I brought the cats there, my little one sees the half wall and the window behind it with 25 mile views. She runs full speed, leaps up on the half wall, and slides off (remember the glossy paint). She fell 10 feet, landed on her feet, walked back up the stairs, and the 3 years I lived there I never saw her take a running leap up on the half wall again. She leapt up there everyday, but she did it standing still next to the half wall.

Several years ago our dog treed a cat in a pecan tree in our back yard. The cat either fell or jumped from 15-20ft, hit the ground, made it to the cyclone fence, and went up and over, all in the blink of an eye. They are tough as nails.