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How high can a cat jump? Crazy Jumpers.

A photo of a cat perched high on a shed roof

How high can a cat jump? Alright so this post is another one of them curious cat questions. It is something I have always wondered as I have seen our cat jump some big obstacles. I decided to do a load of research and find out exactly how high a cat can jump! Let me know in the comments section what large obstacles your cat has jumped up to or from.

For more cat facts, read here.

How high can a cat jump?

The domestic cat depending on which breed it is can jump on average 5-6 foot. This can be either horizontal or vertical due to its very powerful hind leg muscles. A Japanese cat named Nya-Suke was recorded jumping a huge 7 vertical feet! Considering your average cats hight and length that is incredibly acrobatic.

How does a cat jump so high?

How high can a cat jump and how does he? Cats are very agile and well tuned for jumping and running. Their rear legs are incredibly strong whilst very springy. Also when you remove the masses of hair and fur the cats frame is very lightweight. Give them a special shelf to jump on.

Let us not forget where our domestic cats came from and their impressive heritage in the form of big cats. These big cats where the masters of jumping up into and climbing trees. Our little feline friends may be a lot smaller but they still have the ability.

So how does a cat jump so high? Well it is their strong and powerful rear legs and flexible spine. If you watch a cat that is about to make a giant leap you will notice them pushing down first and readjusting. This can sometimes look like nervousness of the jump and second thoughts. However this couldn’t be further from the truth! The cat is actually making lots a calculations from the hardness of the jumping surface to the angle and distance needed.

Then when it is ready it will sink back onto its rear legs and then release all of the power like a coiled up spring. The back will straighten and then curve again briging the feet down flat on the landing surface. With complete accuracy and grace the cat can even land high jumps onto narrow objects with ease.

How high can a cat jump?

How high can a cat jump?

Can a cat jump over a….?

This is a question that I have seen in many forms. People wonder how they can stop their cat from getting to certain places in there house or garden. I will answer a few of these hear from personal experiences of owning a pet cat.

Can a cat jump over a baby gate or stair gate?

How high can a cat jump, over a stair gate? I think people ask this because they maybe do not want their cat getting upstairs for one reason or another. We had the opposite to this.

We did not want our dog getting upstairs and harassing the cat when it was resting. So we installed a stair gate of around 3 foot tall. It did the job at keeping our small half Pomeranian pup out. However our cat is brave and would come down and antagonise the dog until it got a chase. The cat would then bolt to the baby gate and leap over it with complete ease!

So the quick answer to this is that a stair gate will not stop a cat from getting upstairs in your house. The only thing that will stop a cat from being able to move around your house is a door.

Can a cat jump over a fence?

How high can a cat jump, over a fence? We have a lot of cats around our area including our own. They all seem to congregate in the garden like a little cat meeting. That is until our dog decides to go outside and break up the party.

All the cats escape over the fence which is 6 feet tall. They do it with ease in one leap they get right near the top and pull themselves up the last few inches.

So from what I have seen with my own eyes a fence is not going to stop a cat from getting to where it wants to be. Even if you have a 8 foot fence the cat will be able to get over it as they are excellent at climbing wooden structures.

Will a cat jump off anything that is dangerous?

This is a question many new owners will ask as they are worried their cat may jump out of an open window or balcony. Cats are amazing jumpers. They can jump far and high and they can also land a jump perfectly. However your cat is quite intelligent.

It knows what is to high to jump from and it will not jump. Even though you may find it precariously balancing on a high ledge it is in complete control of the situation.

If you are looking to get a cat but live in an apartment with a balcony you should not worry about your cat jumping and injuring itself. It will not attempt a jump that it feels is risky to its health.

In conclusion…..

How high can a cat jump? Cats are the masters at jumping and landing the impossible. If you watch a cat jumping it is in red the amount of power they can unleash to propel themselves onto an object. The average cat ca actually jump 6 times its own height. That is the same as a 6 foot man jumping 36 foot! That is pretty incredible.

If you enjoyed reading this post why not have a look at some of the other curious cat questions in the right hand side. You will find loads of fun questions, answers and facts about your little kitty.

Bye for now!