Cat countertop deterrent and the Falling Cat Problem - GIFs and video

[Jon]

Keeping a cat off a countertop with motion-activated air spray. I've found a similar strategy works fine for getting a dog out of my face, even my own dog - just gently blow once toward their face.




Somehow this is related to the cats vs. cucumbers/bananas videos. 2:35 video:

It's not really appropriate to delight in videos of pets injuring themselves. Some may remember the legendary 2009 episode in which the internet vigilante group Anonymous tracked down fourteen-year-old cat abuser Kenny Glenn after he posted videos of himself torturing Dusty the Cat.

However, in this case, the truth is that there's a weird phenomenon (or maybe not a phenomenon, just perfectly normal physics) involving cats' ability to fall long distances without injury. In fact, looking at the data we have, I believe their risk of injury is reduced once they hit terminal velocity. Look what happens when this little guy drops down nine stories -- see him flare out towards the bottom? And then he doesn't exactly limp away after he lands.




I admit I don't fully understand it. And when we don't understand something, there can be only one explanation:




Either that, or something called Cat righting reflex. The physics problem behind it is called the Falling cat problem.




Previously:

Man repeatedly falls into same hole - GIF
Worker catapulted by pallet jack fall - GIF

[ranald]

Pretty sure I seen the cat on the "hot bench" before. It(the others) seems to be about "that wasn't there before & gosh it might hurt or bite" or "WTH" in cat language . Feral cats leap much higher in defence, when startled.

Before my daughter left home last year & took her dog, I regularly made cups/bowls for her from coconuts but her dog would go ballistic over a coconut left on the ground: "that's an intruder" or maybe she had been marooned on a Fiji Island with Tom Hanks.

[Beserkleyboy]

Mate,
Our little guy, Bentley, has forced us to be very tidy in the yard...leave the barrow or anything else on the lawn, he goes nuts! 'It wasn't there before...BARK'....

Jim

[ranald]

Mate,
Our little guy, Bentley, has forced us to be very tidy in the yard...leave the barrow or anything else on the lawn, he goes nuts! 'It wasn't there before...BARK'....

Jim

Bronson is getting used to my culling with stuff everywhere:some to play with, some for burning, some for charity, some for the tip, some for the "toy boys", some for gumtree etc.
not sure if my post on making a dog coat for a wee chap was saved properly but has pics of his growing up. LOL.(I couldn't find it in miscellaneous)
Cheers

[nhengineer]

Jon,

How about a warning that the "...post's contents may show injury to defenseless animals..." or something similar so we animal lovers will know not to open it.

Thanks

[Jon]

Jon,

How about a warning that the "...post's contents may show injury to defenseless animals..." or something similar so we animal lovers will know not to open it.

Thanks

Your point is valid, but this thread doesn't show injury to defenseless animals. The whole point of the physics surrounding the Falling cat problem is the mystery behind why cats aren't injured by falling.

But yes, agreed - the internet-acceptable injury viewable hierarchy is as follows, with the first-listed injuries most acceptable to view:

1. Injuries to humans.
2. Injuries to wild animals.
3. Injuries to pets.

[ranald]

Your point is valid, but this thread doesn't show injury to defenseless animals. The whole point of the physics surrounding the Falling cat problem is the mystery behind why cats aren't injured by falling.

But yes, agreed - the internet-acceptable injury viewable hierarchy is as follows, with the first-listed injuries most acceptable to view:

1. Injuries to humans.
2. Injuries to wild animals.
3. Injuries to pets.

After reading nhengineers post, I was going to rewatch as I hadn't seen any injuries: then I saw this post of yours Jon.

Few of us, me included, would not like to watch injuries to animals but lovely ones like excavator saves deer is heartening.
Thanks again

[Frank S]

The male we call Victor named so due to the markings on his head face resembling those of the famous Victrola commercial of the 1950s When he had his broken hind leg the vet said I can immobilize it and he has a 30% chance of healing properly but he is very young and still growing so hopefully my predictions are way off. I said lets go ahead and start his round of shots anyway he is going to need them no matter what. the Vet asked if we wanted to include the anti snake bite shots to help him against the probability of encountering a rattlesnake. I didn't know that one was available I told him but yes by all means. About 3 weeks ago the wife let him out around 6:30 Am then around 8 AM he wanted back in his ear and face was bleeding and starting to swell. so we drove the 45 miles to the vet. by the time we got there his face was swollen all the way down under his mouth about 4 times its normal size We had to go to another vet because our regular one was out on a farm call the new vet Lady said your dog was not only bitten by a snake but it appears that he was in a fight with it there are 2 or 3 pairs of bites on his face. I doubt if he is going to make it unless he had had the shots for snake bite. I told her that he has had them. She cleaned and shaved the whole side of his face then wrapped him with a slight compression bandage to stem the bleeding gave us a round of antibiotics to give him. After we got back home I found a very dead snake with 23 rattles and a button quite a ways from the house. Yep I thought you might have hit my dog but you picked on the wrong animal to tussle with. Victor's hair is growing back nicely. By the way he can jump up on the table where the cat food is kept and run like a streak of lightening so his leg turned out all right One tough 37 lb blue healer mix
Jane just told me that the momma dog we call Maggie has had her 4th litter of pups this one as we have been saying for the last 3 litters are going to be her last Victor is from litter #2 Her first litter was a litter of 5 we gave 3 way then the 2 got killed victor was from a litter of 6 a snake got 5 of them while he was being kept in the house nursing his broken leg Litter #3 was only 2 pups they are victor's trainees. Jane says she thinks 4 dogs are enough but I disagree far too valuable to keep varmints at bay.
But getting her fixed it high on the priority list 4 litters in less than3 years is just too much to deal with

[ranald]

The male we call Victor named so due to the markings on his head face resembling those of the famous Victrola commercial of the 1950s When he had his broken hind leg the vet said I can immobilize it and he has a 30% chance of healing properly but he is very young and still growing so hopefully my predictions are way off. I said lets go ahead and start his round of shots anyway he is going to need them no matter what. the Vet asked if we wanted to include the anti snake bite shots to help him against the probability of encountering a rattlesnake. I didn't know that one was available I told him but yes by all means. About 3 weeks ago the wife let him out around 6:30 Am then around 8 AM he wanted back in his ear and face was bleeding and starting to swell. so we drove the 45 miles to the vet. by the time we got there his face was swollen all the way down under his mouth about 4 times its normal size We had to go to another vet because our regular one was out on a farm call the new vet Lady said your dog was not only bitten by a snake but it appears that he was in a fight with it there are 2 or 3 pairs of bites on his face. I doubt if he is going to make it unless he had had the shots for snake bite. I told her that he has had them. She cleaned and shaved the whole side of his face then wrapped him with a slight compression bandage to stem the bleeding gave us a round of antibiotics to give him. After we got back home I found a very dead snake with 23 rattles and a button quite a ways from the house. Yep I thought you might have hit my dog but you picked on the wrong animal to tussle with. Victor's hair is growing back nicely. By the way he can jump up on the table where the cat food is kept and run like a streak of lightening so his leg turned out all right One tough 37 lb blue healer mix
Jane just told me that the momma dog we call Maggie has had her 4th litter of pups this one as we have been saying for the last 3 litters are going to be her last Victor is from litter #2 Her first litter was a litter of 5 we gave 3 way then the 2 got killed victor was from a litter of 6 a snake got 5 of them while he was being kept in the house nursing his broken leg Litter #3 was only 2 pups they are victor's trainees. Jane says she thinks 4 dogs are enough but I disagree far too valuable to keep varmints at bay.
But getting her fixed it high on the priority list 4 litters in less than3 years is just too much to deal with

Blue healers are a very determined & protective breed. I knew a guard dog breeder & he claimed the only guard dog better than a bluey was the close relative that had dingo blood in it viz: Aust'n Red Cattle Dog. He told me of so many people who wanted dobermans, shepherds, waimarino & bull terriers because of shows like 007.

FWIW- Unfortunately idiots have crossed bred big strong happy/docile dog breeds due to their power with other less reliable breeds like pit bulls that when badly treated become "dangerous" to everything and its no wonder that some have killed their owners. A savage dog does not make it a good snaker.

Never liked the look of rattle snakes or sidewinders as they remind me of our aptly named death adder and some smaller and larger tigers.

Expanding on my previous post= It is winter here and everyone knows that snakes are not active during winter but all those folk forgot to tell the snakes that. I went to the shed seeking stored items in low shelves so took our Jack Russell with me: the young silkyX following to learn from the other learners. They quickly abandoned me and I continued my search on bended knees (I have a small walkway in that shed).

I heard a kaffuffle behind the shed but continued my search.
After finding the tractor mower deck wheels I went to check out the commotion. The Jack Russell was covered in blood, & totally exhausted but still doing his thing to the totally ripped apart jo blake. I wasn't going to count scales to try to assertain what species it was but it could have been a harmless Keelback; a very pugnatious & venomous Rough Scale snake: or a smallish coastal Taipan :too many small bits and as the bin guy was due the next morning that became its temp resting place.

Incomplete Very Important ADVICE :- never distract your cat or dog that is in direct contact with a snake. (Unfortunately cats are often just curious or playing with critters.)

Be aware of your own instincts ( My hairs on the back of my neck rise ((at least that is what it feels like)) & I get an almost goosebump feeling when a venomous snake is detected by my subconscious).

Be aware also that most fatalities/ bites here in Aus ( we have many of the very dangerous species ) are from folk trying to kill one or they stand on one=keep your eyes peeled. They can strike at least twice their length so a long handled post hole shovel or a brushcutter is no match for a one metre snake strike. Coastal Taipans can strike several times in a second. A bit like dodging lightning once it started.

Also be aware that most snakes (Taipans and some other venomous ones excluded) have poor eyesight but see your heat and detect your vibrations=somethings you just cant hide.

[nhengineer]

Thanks for your response, Jon. I admit I did not read the text - only watched that poor cat fall 20 feet to the asphalt and then be chased by the dog. Not something I wanted to watch. I'm glad the cat wasn't hurt too bad in the fall but I can't imagine what that dog did to her and I don't want to know.

I can't watch:

1. Injuries to humans, 2. Injuries to wild animals or 3. Injuries to pets.

....but, that's just me.

Regards,
DSLee