20 Chapter 2from tall buildings with only minor injuries. But this does not always prevent cats
from sustaining serious injury as it can also depend on the nature of the surface on
which the cat lands. Injuries can also occur if the distance that the cat falls is too
short. Although the righting reflex happens very quickly, a distance of at least 10 feet
is needed to allow the cat to completely right itself (Bradshaw, 2013).
References
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Bradshaw, J.W.S. (2013) Cat Sense: The Feline Enigma Revealed. Allen Lane, Penguin
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Bradshaw, J.W.S., Casey, R.A. and Brown, S.L. (2012) The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat,
2nd edn. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.
DeAngelis, G.C. (2000) Seeing in three dimensions: the neurophysiology of stereopsis.
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Heffner, S. and Heffner, H.E. (1985) Hearing range of the domestic cat. Hearing Research
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Ley, J. (2016) Feline communication. In: Rodan, I. and Heath, S. (eds) Feline Behavioral
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Clinical Behaviour. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Oxford, UK.
Fig. 2.3. The righting reflex. As soon as the cat starts to fall the movement is detected by
the vestibular system and within one tenth of a second the body starts to twist to allow the
cat to land on its feet.