150 Feet and Marley The Cat Walks Away
Marley the cat got a thrill that not even his namesake, Bob Marley, had experienced - a fall from 14 storeys up. No one is sure why the cat felt the urge to leave the high-rise condo via the window, but the owner, Angela Bester suspects that the birds which fly nearby may have been the temptation.
Ms. Bester, before leaving for an overnight trip, had left a window slightly open. When she returned, it did not take her long to realize something was wrong. “I saw the window and I knew instantly what had happened and I looked at the (uneaten) food and the water. In my heart, I knew he was gone,” said the construction health and safety manager.
Her boyfriend, Jonathan Stevens, agreed to search the grounds below. He located a flattened fern, but no cat.
This ray of hope caused Ms. Bester and some neighbors to join the search party. After three hours, Marley appeared, shaken but not broken. The veterinarian checked him out and found no concerns.
“He was hugging my boyfriend, he had his paws around his neck and he was not letting go,” said Bester.
“We figured it out, he fell 150 feet,” said Bester.
As remarkable as his fall was, Marleys fall wasn’t even a local record. In 1997, two cats survived a leap from 21 storeys by landing in bushes. A 10-month old kitten survived a 20-storey fall in Burnaby, British Columbia in July 1994.
Interestingly enough, there are studies that show that 90% of the cats that have fallen from 32 storeys or less actually survive. If a cat can manage to make it up at least six storeys before leaping, they are less likely to be hurt. These results have led some to speculate that when the cats fall from greater distances, they relax and allow their bodies to be more aerodynamic - much as a flying squirrel glides.
Regardless, Marleys owner will be putting screens on the windows to keep her cat from making the news again.
Source: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=fcce609b-4871-47c3-b63e-c4ea9ddc6f72
Ceros @ July 5, 2008