Balconies and Cats

From: Gleichman, Eve K [mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ]
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 2:35 PM
To: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Subject: Interview with Esquire about cats

Dr. Nicky,
Hi there.  I just spoke to your husband on the phone about scheduling an interview with us over here at Esquire for our monthly column, Answer Fella.  This month’s question, believe it or not, is about cats, and specifically their intuition when it comes to falling from high places.  Do you think you’d have time in the next day or so to help us figure out the answer?  Here’s the question from the reader:
“My girlfriend lives in a high-rise apartment with a balcony.  Her cat always runs up to the edge of the balcony, sticks its head out between the rungs of the railing, and then, of course, stops.  My question is this:  Do domesticated cats and dogs know know to jump from high places, even though they don’t necessarily have the reasoning ability to understand the “cause and effect” of jumping off a balcony without first experiencing it?”
So, if you’re in (!), you can mull that strange inquiry over ahead of time, and reach me at my desk: 212 649 4211, or at this email.
Thanks, Nicky, and hope to speak to you soon!
Warm regards,
Eve
-- Eve Gleichman
Esquire
300 West 57th St., 21st Floor.
New York, NY 10019
212 649 4211

From: VancouverFelineHospital [mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ]
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:17 PM
To: 'Gleichman, Eve K'
Subject: RE: Interview with Esquire about cats

Hi Eve,
I know your deadlines are crazy, so I have included this link to the veterinarypartner.com website, on the feline behavior page; this is a very useful website for answering questions and/or finding the veterinarians that are able to answer questions – it is a website written by veterinarians for veterinarians to use as a resource tool in helping our clients understand what is happening with their pets. It does make some interesting browsing whenever these questions come up.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=18

My reading on kitten development, and observations of hundreds of the little things growing up; and then living in an urban area where high-rise syndrome (what happens to a cat when it falls off the balcony) is a common spring and summer phenomenon leads me into thinking like this:

Experiments in the 50’s and 60’s with kittens (cats are a favorite lab animal, and a number of behavioral studies were done during that infamous early period when vivisection and animal testing was so acceptable) demonstrated that kittens reared on a black and white tiled surface had differing depth perception dependant on the arrangement of the tiles; and that kittens reared in 2 dimensional space (no chairs/benches/climbing surfaces, just a flat floor) never developed normal depth perception i.e. ability to judge height. Mammalian ability, reasoning or otherwise,  is a large part nurturing and experience in formative years, with some degree of “instinctual” or nature – the whole nature vs nurture debate is endless; but practically this is so – cats learn from experience, as do human babies.

However there does seem to be an instinct for self-preservation – this may be a general thing – don’t leap into the unknown (look before leaping?). There are no old bold cats. Add a few more survival clichés here…. It has nothing to do with previous experience, but more a lack of experience – out of routine, too much of the big unknown, that instinctual fear of the unknown – explorers and cats survive by setting up base camp and then moving to camp number 2, running back to base, and gradually extending the known territory with a series of safe spots. The ones that don’t do this, the incautious, do not survive long. We observe this method of exploration in most cats and kittens facing new territory.

Take into account a few other factors – we prevent our cats from breeding before we know how “intelligent” they are, and for our kittens we are dependant on breeders or strays – with often hand-rearing, poor nurturing environments, no feline mothers available for the first critical 6 months of learning life, and early weaning; we also rear our kittens in isolation – we take them away from mum before natural weaning, and leave them to cope with NO feline guidance, just dumb humans in a very artificial environment. Cats have a very distinct social and colony structure. We disrupt this normal feline behavior significantly with our pet cat culture – particularly in rearing single cats indoors only. These cats will demonstrate lots of abnormal feline behavior that we do deal with on a daily basis – so to stop that rant here is another link for you - http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/indoorcat.htm

And all that above paragraph means is that we limit the nature (instinct) because we do not allow natural selection to take place; and we severely limit the nurture – (see my little note at the end)

So we find as many cats that can cope with balconies – they know the drop is too much – as often as we find cats that are apparently oblivious to the meaning of height.

By the way, animals can reason cause and effect without experiencing the effect as well as any baby – mum says no and instills a sense of caution and that sticks for life – I guess this viewpoint differs according to your age and a few other demographics, but we know animals have language systems, can communicate effectively, but that our human range of communication (spoken word) limits our understanding of the animal range. Our cats have the ability to learn throughout life, but mostly as kittens. Cats learn from all species, so if your human gets tense and warns you about the edge, just once, you will avoid that behavior because it is undesirable – there is a sense of wrong or danger communicated.

Cats that fall from balconies and windows do not leap deliberately, no matter what their depth perception ability and innate survival instinct may actually be. Often they are sitting there taking in the scene, or walking sedately on the edge, when they are startled, and are unable to save themselves from the inevitable drop.

Once dropping, all cats will attempt to twist so that they land on their feet. The extent of the injuries experienced by falling cats in high-rise syndrome varies according to the height they fall and the surface they hit. Typical injuries will be a broken lower jaw, broken hard palate, one or more broken feet, and significant internal bruising. We can also see diaphragmatic rupture, bladder rupture and broken pelvis.

To prevent such disasters, we usually recommend:

1. Get pet insurance – no matter how good you are, there is always the brother/visitor/boyfriend that leaves the window/balcony door open – the latest stat I remember is that 80% of indoor-only cats do get outside by accident (I think by a microchip company – avid?) – disasters are expensive.
2. Get your cat identified – collars are often lost, tattoos may become non-readable or irrelevant in a different state/province but are good for immediate identification, and microchips are the most useful world-wide, EXCEPT in the United Sates, because of differing standards. Finding the owners for cats that have experienced trauma is essential – the cat will get better care, go back home, and you will not spend nights crying and wondering where kitty went.
3. Preventative thinking – assess your place and install good screens (not pop-out ones) in the windows and doors – this way you can open the windows and balcony doors for air, but keep your cat safely inside. The expensive more than justifies the incredible anguish and heartbreak we witness every year. If you would like your cat to access the balcony, then consider ensuring they cannot get through the railings, and that you provide a safe perch at a distance from the edge that is preferable to the edge for viewing the world – and make the edge inaccessible or enclose the whole balcony. Don’t procrastinate, just do it – don’t think it won’t happen, your cat is smart that way – I have heard that one too many times, including after the cat is dead/gone missing after falling out of the building. I don’t have links for screens – a visit to any home show these days pops up at least 5 or 6 (in Vancouver  at least) companies that install these discrete magnetized screens as opposed to the really ugly cheapies, but even a cheapy screen can safe your cats butt. Here are links to 2 companies that provide outdoor enclosure solutions – for balconies the mesh must be invisible to the strata council/ not ugly for acceptance and these 2 are the best I have found as a readymade solution so far – www.thecatsden.net and a solution used for the Hemingway cats – www.purrfectfence.com.
4. Raise your kitten right – from early crawling provide varied climbing surfaces (not carpeted trees, try real wood/driftwood, furniture, boxes, shelves, plants….), feline companionship for play so that they can develop the agility and ability, and a bunch of other things that is a whole article in itself.

Now I do not know anything about dogs, having practiced exclusively with cats for years; the dog part of the question may be best answered by a canine behaviorist, trainer or veterinarian – you might find such a person on the linked website, or Google J

And you can ask the same question from board certified feline behaviorists – there are a few around in the world – if you cannot dig out some names, given a few days, I will be able to find them for you.

Regards

Dr Nicky Joosting

Vancouver Feline Hospital

Limiting natural selection in our pet population is not a bad thing – we can argue endlessly about the unlimited suffering, disease and public health risks of uncontrolled feral cat populations – spaying and neutering our pets before puberty is an essential preventative health measure, prolongs the life of the pet, and provides us with a pet with which we can actually live in our urban and suburban environment. Even if you live on a farm, the cats should be spayed and neutered.

Limiting the nurture in the face of knowledgable advice is purely selfish. Bring your kitten up right, and provide an environment where your cat can be a cat – meet the needs of the five freedoms (the fifth need is the ability to express normal feline behavior).