Ah, the kitten didn't fall far enough.  Seriously.  There have been
studies done, and cats instinctively twist themselves around in the air
so they'll land on their feet.  But there has to be sufficient distance
to their fall to allow them the time to do so.  (Slow-mo film of a cat
twisting around in the air is fascinating.  They have a *very* flexible
spine.)

My first cat, Sinbad, was (before he adopted me) a stray who was once
thrown out of a third floor window.  He probably would have been all
right except that he struck the shoulder of a woman standing on the
sidewalk under the window and bounced off.  He broke his leg as he hit
the ground.  I learned this story when I investigated around the
neighborhood following an xray at the time of his neutering.  I'd
requested the xray to see why he held one of his front legs funny when
he sat.  The vet confirmed an old break which had healed without being
set.  Apparently he'd dragged himself off into the back alleys to
recover.

That was one fine cat of very strong personality.  He moved in through
my bedroom window and took me for his person.  What a good cat he was.  

Now, what were we talking about?  ;-)

Priscilla

I'd second this.  When Meep went in to get spayed, she evidenced
abnormal kidney function on the blood test, but normal on one taken a
few weeks later.  Vet asked about possible injuries; we remembered
that one of the bikes under the open stairs had fallen; at the time we
just thought it was gravity, but after that we realized she'd probably
fallen through the open stairs while playing, and landed on one of the
bikes (ouch!).  She never showed any signs of injury though.
Fortunately there were no lasting effects, and she didn't need
treatment.  

It's important to remember that cats instinctively hide injury, so he
could be hurt even without any outward signs.

jmc
usenet [at] jodi [dit] ws
Any day you learn something isn't a total waste.