During a recent fire in a Chicago apartment building, firemen and spectators were treated to a spectacular display of feline agility and talent. Hennessy, the cat, was unable to escape with his owner and had to find a way out on his own.
“When the firemen arrived on the scene and pushed their way into the apartment, the cat was sitting on the other side of the door, refusing to come out,” Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford told reporters. “As they moved farther into the flat, the cat walked deeper into the apartment and ultimately decided to sit on the window ledge after they broke out the windows to ventilate.”
Langford was filming the collision when he noticed Hennessy exiting the fifth-story window. He was apprehensive, and he appeared to be about to enter.
Nine lives for a cat that jumped from fire at 65th and Lowe. Cat hit grass bounced and walked away! pic.twitter.com/LRBsjMta2Z
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) May 13, 2021
Climbers by nature, felines are fearless when it comes to heights. They can withstand falls from tremendous heights because they can arrange their bodies to land on their feet every time. Surprisingly, if they fall from a short height, they might be harmed since they don’t have enough time to align their bodies.
According to the BBC, they have a very high surface area in relation to their weight, which reduces the power with which they strike the pavement. “Compared to big animals like people and horses, cats attain terminal velocity or the speed at which the downward drag of gravity is balanced by the upward push of wind resistance, at a sluggish rate.”
Before leaping from the window, Hennessy calculated his height. Langford explained, “He put his paws out like he was testing — it seemed like he was trying to calculate [the fall], and then he just took off.” “It was unexpected.”
While in the air, the dexterous cat stretched his legs out to create a parachute effect. “He looked more like a flying squirrel than a cat,” Langford said.
Hennessy flew past a retaining wall and landed safely on the lawn with a little bounce, to the delight of everyone in the area. He then strolled away, as if nothing had happened.
Everyone was taken aback by the fact that he didn’t appear to be limping and appeared to be in good health. It only goes to show that the cat always manages to get back on its feet, no matter what occurs.
