Cat Survives 19-Story Fall From Boston Apartment Building
BOSTON (CBS) - Rescuers are calling her a miracle cat. Her name is Sugar, a white ball of fluff that survived a fall from her owner's window on the 19th floor of a Storrow Drive high rise.
"I look out my window all the time and I think, 'Wow, this is really high,'" says Sugar's owner, Brittany Kirk. She believes in the old saying about nine lives. "I think she probably used one or two or maybe eight."
When workers with the Animal Rescue League examined the cat, they found it had minor bruising on the lungs, but no broken bones, no cuts, and no serious injuries. They estimate she fell between 150 and 200 feet. "Pretty open access to Storrow drive as well, as if the cat needed any more peril on this day," said rescue manager Brian O'Connor.
Surprisingly, rescuers say studies show cats have a better chance of surviving falls when they're from higher than nine stories. "The cats were able to relax, orient themselves in a flying squirrel position with the legs spread out. It slowed their descent down."
The Animal Rescue League is reminding pet owners to make sure they have screens on windows. After this happened, Sugar's owner called the managers of her high rise to have one installed.
"I'm just so thankful. When I came home from work today and I saw her, I was just very thankful. It's a miracle," says Kirk.
