A young cat is counting what’s left of his nine lives as he recovers on Wednesday, a day after falling from a fourth-floor window in the West Village.
The 2-year-old cat named Sammy plummeted to the ground below after something apparently startled him on Tuesday morning, taking the window screen with him, according to BluePearl Veterinary Partners, who treated Sammy for his extensive injuries. Sammy was being looked after by a pet sitter and was found when his owner came back to the West 13th Street apartment after being out of town.
Sammy suffered from a broken right hind leg, broken toes on his right, front paw, a split hard palate, and had air that leaked into his chest cavity, according to BluePearl.
“He’s a very lucky cat,” Dr. Rachel Carlson, the emergency vet who oversaw Sammy’s care, said in a statement. “Thankfully, his owner did everything right and sought emergency medical care right away.”
Carlson said Sammy’s injuries could have been much worse and, in fact, he would have been better off if he fell from an even higher vantage point. Cats who fall from higher heights tend to get less hurt because they relax, which allows them to better absorb the impact.
Cats falling out of windows, known as “high-rise syndrome,” is fairly common, Carlson said.
Sammy was undergoing X-rays on Wednesday as his doctors discussed how to surgically fix his broken hind leg. On Tuesday, Carlson stitched up his palate, put a splint on his right front paw and removed the air from his chest.
