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On throwing cats out of aeroplanes
(Mar 15 2009)

As a keen cat-lover, I would never intentionally put my furry friend at risk. However, it seems that if one is travelling in an aeroplane which is about to crash, the best thing to do is throw the cat out of the plane.

It seems that cats' "terminal velocity", the maximum speed they reach when falling through air, is only about 96kph, compared with 210kph for a human being. As long as they land on something fairly suitable, don't freeze and have enough oxygen, the odds are they will escape without serious injury. For mammals smaller than a cat, the odds are even better.

It seems that cats falling from a greater distance have a better survival rate, as they relax and spread themselves out at terminal velocity. A lot will require medical attention, but when it's life or death...

Lots, lots more in the links below.

Related links:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1143/do-cats-always-land-unharmed-on-their-feet-no-matter-how-far-they-fall
http://dba-oracle.blogspot.com/2005/09/terminal-velocity-of-cats.html
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/high-rise-syndrome.html