help

I am afraid my cat jumped out of my 17th floor NYC apartment. I can't find him and even though I had a guard on my window, I'm afraid he got through.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can try to find my missing cat?

Is there any chance of a cat surviving an 17-story fall?

Thank you.

It may be that your cat is hiding someplace inside the apartment. If you think that your cat may have gotten out, it may be best to look for your cat on the ground. Also, is it possible that there are ledges, etc. on which the cat could have climbed?

> can't find him and even though I had a guard on my window, I'm > afraid he got through. > > Does anyone have any advice on how I can try to find my missing > cat? > > Is there any chance of a cat surviving an 17-story fall? > > Thank you.

Google on the phrase 'high-rise syndrome'. Add the word 'cat' to narrow the search. Amazingly, cats survive falls with fewer severe injuries from higher levels (> 6 stories) better than from lower ones. However few, if any, cats survive uninjured from such falls and many don't survive at all (one figure claims a 90% survival rate of feline victims of such accidents in falls from heights between 2 and 32(!) stories). Common injuries from such high falls include shattered jaws, punctured lungs and broken pelvis. NYC was the first place that noticed and collected veterinary data on this phenomenon. Alternatively to Google, you could call practically any NYC veterinarian and they would know about it.

Here is one informative site (please note, the info contained herein may not be very comforting to you):

<http://petplace.netscape.com/articles/artShow.asp? artID=2570>

I hope you find your pet safe and sound.