From what height a cat can fall safely?

Question

There is a belief prevalent that cats can land on their paws harmlessly irrespective of the height. Assuming that the land below is plain soil, what can maximum if cat is drooped, it lands safely?

Answer 1

There's a great term called "feline high-rise syndrome".

Roughly speaking, 90% of cats survive falls from 2-32 stories (approx 5-160 meters).

A Straight Dope article from 1996 conjectured that higher falls give the cat time to rotate (feet-down) and then relax, which causes their excess of skin to act somewhat like a parachute. Specifically, the article says that falls over seven stories are more survivable.

The 2004 Vnuk article specifically disputes this, stating:

Falls from the seventh or higher stories, are associated with more severe injuries and with a higher incidence of thoracic trauma.

The article also indicates a 96.5% survival rate, though half of those sustained limb fractures.

Incidentally, a physics.stackoverflow article says a "righted and relaxed" cat has a terminal velocity around 100kph, while reddit estimates a human's TV is about 160kph at the slowest (flat, stretched out).