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Cats lack a fear of heights. In fact, they are drawn to high places, and their bodies are well-suited for navigating elevated environments. Even at home, cats tend to choose higher vantage points—it gives them a better view and makes them feel safer since they are less likely to be disturbed.

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Why? Cats are natural-born predators.
In the wild, they were excellent bird hunters and often had to climb trees. As a result, the fear of heights was never ingrained in their genetic makeup. Trees also provided them with a place to rest and shelter from other predators.

A cat's sense of balance is controlled by its highly developed vestibular system, located in the inner ear. This allows them to move effortlessly along narrow ledges, as long as they aren’t distracted.

Veterinarians often encounter cats that have fallen from heights. These cats may have been fearlessly playing, chasing each other, or leaping after birds and insects.

Because of this tendency, in 1976, New York veterinarian Gordon Robinson coined the term "Feline High-Rise Syndrome." No such syndrome exists for other animals. The term typically refers to the set of characteristic injuries cats sustain after falling from great heights. However, it is more accurate to distinguish between "high-rise injuries" and "high-rise syndrome." The latter refers to the unique behavioral trait of cats that leads them to fall out of windows, while high-rise injuries are the consequence of this behavior.

There is even a specialized field of study called "Feline Pasematology" (from the Greek "pasema" — falling), which focuses on how cats land on all four paws. This study is closely related to high-rise syndrome, and we will discuss pasematology separately.

It's true that fatal falls in cats occur less frequently than in humans. But let’s draw a parallel: if we compare car accidents to the total number of vehicles in a city, the odds of being in an accident are relatively low. Yet, we still wear seatbelts, helmets while riding motorcycles, and use child seats to protect our children.

We take precautions against risks that, while not guaranteed to be fatal, are dangerous enough that we choose to safeguard ourselves. There’s no such thing as a "car accident syndrome," but this kind of reasoning sounds absurd to us—we don’t calculate percentages based on probability theory when it comes to safety.

Windows are the number one danger for cats in the home. So why do many people neglect to protect their cats? Why are there traffic rules, but no rules for keeping cats safe? Let’s change that.