Is there a relationship between an animals weight and how far it can fall without getting hurt?

Question

I need to make guidelines for pets in a building with no balcony railings.

Answer 1

If there is it would be very very complicated. An animal that ways more would strike the ground with more force but most likely more area, an animal that weighs less would strike with less force, but over less area. The cushioning effect of fat would for the most part be minimal, because for the vast majority of animals(which tend to carry very little body fat, the internal organs(in the worst case scenario) would absorb a fair amount of impact.

Good luck on reaching a conclusion=)

Answer 2

on average a smaller animal could take a higher fall.  a small cat can take a bigger fall than a big dog. but what it really comes down to is the type of animal.  cats are better designed for climbing, leaping, and falling thatn dogs which are built more for speed jumping.  but basically if its light it'll stand a better chance (though i hope something like that never happens)

Answer 3

Absolutely. Of course small animals can fall further than larger animals due to less potential energy.

For the purpose of your question, i think the rule wouldn't work. This is because some animals evolved to jump from high levels while others didn't. For instance a small dog would be more likely to get hurt than a large cat since dogs are not climbing animals and cats are.

BTW, wouldn't you be more concerned about people falling from those heights? Not only would they be more likely to get hurt, they're probably more likely to fall in the first place.