Over 1 million TikTok users have watched the moment a cat fell from a balcony.
It turns out the saying “cats always land on their feet” is true in this case as Hank has a soft landing on the sofa. But not every cat is so lucky.
The pet food company Purina has explained that overweight cats are less likely to land on all fours as their weight reduces their ability to correct themselves while in the air. Cats have a flexible spine meaning the healthy felines are able to turn themselves the right way around while in the air.
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When they manage to land on their feet, it is called the righting reflex. Purina explained “their back arches, the feet go underneath the body and bring their forepaws close to the face to protect it. Their low body to weight ratio also helps cats to land on their feet as it manages to slow their velocity while falling.”
Fortunately, Hank seems to have mastered the righting reflex as he lands safely after jumping off the indoor balcony.
The video captioned “8 more lives left” seems to be a hit online as 1.7 million TikTok viewers have watched the viral clip shared by @elliethecreator01 on August 2.
Previously, Newsweek spoke to multiple experts regarding the myth about cats having nine lives.
Anita Kelsey, U.K. feline behaviorist and author of Let’s Talk About Cats, previously told Newsweek: “No one really knows for sure where that saying came from and we can only go on myths such as from ancient Egyptian times… As the Egyptians revered cats the myth of the saying originating there does sound feasible.”
The post has received over 229,700 likes and 850 comments at the time of writing.
One user said “He’s like ‘I’m still alive,'” as Hank appears to be disorientated and in disbelief as he touches the sofa.
Another user wrote: “You could see all of his thoughts on his face.”
“That cat fell from another dimension,” said another person.
Another user said: “Not him looking around like those weren’t the consequences of his own actions.”
Some users have insinuated this sort of behavior is expected from ginger cats as more than one user said: “Orange cat activities.” It turns out they might be right as Newsweek has previously shared a ginger cat’s unique hiding place that left everyone speechless.
Newsweek reached out to @elliethecreator01 for comment via TikTok.
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