I read in a QI book (Quite Interesting), or possibly a Bill Bryson book, that cats, and many other small animals for that matter, have a terminal velocity and falling manner that aids in their survival.
I'm sure you know what happens when a suicidal maniac decides to jump off the top of a 20-storey building.
Of course, the above only happens if you happen to jump off a building at night and have pink flourescent blood. But you get the general idea - you DIE. But this is not the case with cats. As they fall, they panic, then approach terminal velocity*, at which point they spread out their arms and legs, increasing surface area, thus decreasing speed and friction, and so fall comfortably to a nice finish, most of the time not sustaining major injury.
Scientific studies have proven (though why they would do such things to poor innocent cats) that our feline friends have a higher chance of surving a 18-storey fall rather than a 7-storey fall (because from seven storeys they don't have time to reach terminal velocity). Which is rather good - from a practical point of view, back in the time of wildcats and ferocious beasts, a cat running from a predator could simply throw itself off a cliff. The big beast=pink splat, little cat =survive
So if you live in an apartment and want a pet, get a cat.
