Parachute cat syndrome

You may have heard of “Parachute Cat Syndrome” by now. If you have not heard anything about it, I will summarize it here: the GSP refers to the propensity of cats to fall from windows.
In recent years and with the increase in domestic cats per capita, an increase in veterinary visits and even deaths from this factor is being observed.

To better understand the parachute cat syndrome we have to go back a few years. When cats were wild and lived in total freedom. At that time, cats, like other animals, were part of the food chain. That is, they ate and were eaten. His basic instincts were to eat and avoid being eaten.

Where does the problem lie?

What is the problem? That house cats are no longer part of the food chain. Now they live happily inside our well-fed, warm and loving homes. But nevertheless their hunting instincts are still very present in their personality and for this reason it is so fun to watch them play. Gambling is basically hunting and socializing behavior. By the way, if seeing one cat jump and run is ideal, seeing two or three is addictive. I take this opportunity to strongly recommend that if you are going to adopt a cat, you should consider two. You will guarantee them a more feline life.

Okay, let’s go to the problem we have with the windows and the cats. We have always heard that they have seven lives, that if they fall from a great height they can glide, that they are super elastic and their joints can absorb strong impacts and many things that always point to the same thing: they are immortal.
And it is true and no.

When all this is said it is true, of course it is, but with nuances. Sure, cats are prepared to glide in the air, but as long as they fall from the height of a tree, not from a fifth floor. Of course, their joints are capable of absorbing strong impacts against the ground. But when it is made of dirt or boil, never concrete or tiles.

You have to be careful with the sun

A cat sleeping peacefully in the sun is one of the most beautiful images that exist and that provides a greater sense of well-being, but it can also become one of the most dangerous moments in your life if you do it on the windowsill. Just when they are waking up or in those moments that they are in a yes is no is, it only takes a little bird to pass fairly close to it so that its “hunting mode” is activated and instinctively feel the impulse to launch itself for that prey that is provoking him.

It is true that it does not always happen, in fact, it is not the usual thing but it is no less true that it is an increasing trend and that the longer we let the cat stay in the open window, the more chances we have that it will fall when jumping into for that bird or butterfly. More and more veterinarians are warning of this problem and more and more frequently they are treating cats that are victims of parachute cat syndrome with prognoses ranging from broken teeth or legs to fractured jaws or damaged pelvis and spines. Obviously the monetary and emotional cost of these injuries is enormous.

 

Air is very important to them

Cats have to take the air, this point would make it an obligation if you share a home with felines. It is a basic need for them as well as for us. They need to receive stimulation. Let us remember that its most developed sense above sight or hearing, which is not exactly weak, is smell.

Through smell they perceive the universe beyond the four walls of their house. If we have a dog, we take him for a walk, we ourselves need to leave the house regularly. They also need those stimuli from the outside, sounds and smells that enrich their day to day.

That is why I am not going to tell you to stop allowing your cats to look out the window, take a nap next to it or go out to gossip when the sun goes down. What I am telling you, I ask you please since your life depends on it, is that you take the necessary measures so that this occurs as safely as possible.

Currently there are companies in the market that specialize in meeting this need. You can even go to a large DIY area and purchase the necessary components to make your own protection.

In this post I explain what can happen to your cat if he falls from a window.

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